Heathens
by Scribbles-Dementia
Summary: After barely surviving the summer, the boys are more than eager for things to go back to the way they were; before the Emersons, before Star and Laddie, and before Max had the convoluted notion that they needed a mother. Unfortunately for them, the summer held one more surprise. Freaks, thrills, magic, and a secret Max had thought he'd left behind – the circus is coming to town…
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **To my loyal readers, don't worry.** Sic Transit Gloria Mundi **hasn't been abandoned. I've just got really bad writer's block at the moment. Which is kind of ironic considering it started out as the story that I always turned to when I had writer's block on other things. There is a half-written chapter sitting on my laptop but, honestly, I'm not sure when I'll finish it.**

 **This is the product of rewatching The Lost Boys recently for the umpteenth time, binging on fanfiction, listening to old school P!ATD and The Dresden Dolls, and procrastinating on finishing a 20-page paper that's the only thing keeping me from graduating from my MA programme.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and, well, vampire stuff.**

* * *

 _After barely surviving the summer, the boys are more than eager for things to go back to the way they were; before the Emersons, before Star and Laddie, and before Max had the convoluted notion that they needed a mother. Unfortunately for them, the summer held one more surprise. Freaks, thrills, magic, and a secret Max had thought he'd left behind – the circus is coming to town…_

* * *

 **Heathens  
**

Edgar Frog eyed the girl who'd walked into his store with open mistrust. It wasn't often that they had customers of the female variety wandering through their doors. Everything about her was meant to catch the eye; from her flaming, bottle red hair, to the colourful tattoos covering almost every inch of skin he could see, with the exception of her face. She was also carrying a stack of flyers in her hands and something rolled up under her arms.

"Excuse me?"

He frowned. Across the store, his brother, Alan, caught his eye. They left the comic books they had been sorting through and approached the girl together, presenting a united front against an unknown enemy.

The girl seemed unfazed and smiled brightly at them.

"Hi!"

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Edgar grunted whilst Alan returned her greeting with a curt nod.

She laughed.

"Nah, comics aren't really my thing. Remy would love this place though. Actually I was just wondering if you guys would mind putting up a couple of posters for us? And maybe I could leave some flyers too?"

'Us' turned out to be a travelling sideshow, _Le Cirque des Ténèbres_. The black and white posters were beautifully illustrated, boasting of such thrill acts as Ignatius the Fire Eater, Jasna the Sword Swallower and something called the Globe of Death. And then there were the more unusual attractions, such as Fillin the Wolfman, Kakra and Zesiro the Siamese twins, and –

"That one's me!" The girl pointed excitedly at the illustrated banner with the name 'Generys the Painted Lady' splashed across it. And then she pulled a face as a thought occurred to her. "It's a burlesque act though, so I don't think they'll let you guys in. But all the shows in the cirque are amazing so it's all right if you can't get into a couple."

Neither Frog brother quite knew how it happened, but between the girl telling them about her act and shooting them dazzling grins, they somehow ended up with three large posters on their hands and about a hundred flyers. She threw them another smile over her shoulder as she skipped out of the store.

"I guess I'll see you guys around!"

They never even got the chance to offer her a copy of _Vampires Everywhere!_.

* * *

Getting impaled had hurt like a bitch. He could recall it vividly; what it felt like as the antlers pierced through his back and burst out of his chest, narrowly missing his heart. It was the first time anyone had come close to killing him since he'd been turned, and it was not an experience he was keen on repeating any time soon.

They barely made it out of that house that night. He still had no idea how Max had survived. All he remembered was waking up back in the cave; Marko right where they had left him, surrounded by the corpses of the three Surf Nazis they'd brought to him before they'd gone to lay siege on the Emersons. Paul had looked like he'd been soaking in an acid bath. It took him a full week to recover and he was still pissed about it. Dwayne hadn't fared any better.

In the month since that fateful night, the Emersons had packed up and left town, taking Star and Laddie with them. Max had somehow recovered faster than all of them and, as much as they hated to admit it, had taken care of the four of them during those first few days when they were too weak to leave the cave to feed.

Max had managed to keep the video store running in his absence too, though he hadn't been seen in public since that night. The boys had been instructed to avoid the boardwalk and had been resorting to feeding off the drunk and high stragglers they found along the beach. No one mentioned the fact that it seemed like they were hiding.

"Fuck this shit!"

David looked up from the book he'd been reading, not at all surprised to find that Marko had been the first to crack. He had been the first to fully heal and therefore had been the one who had to contend with boredom for the longest. Paul let out a bark of laughter from where he has lying on the edge of the fountain, blowing smoke rings. Dwayne ignored them all, jerking the switchblade he'd been messing with out of the surfboard he'd been using for target practice. He'd gotten quieter since Laddie left.

"I'm sick and tired of this," complained Marko, chucking the Super Ball he'd been playing with across the cave. It rebounded violently, flying past David's head, missing him by a hair's breadth. Paul rolled off the fountain, crawled over to him, and rested his head in his lap, pouting.

"It's been a month," the blonde whined. "I'm going to die of boredom if we don't do something."

"You're immortal, idiot," said David, pushing Paul off of him. He glared at the younger vampire, flicking off the errant bits of ash that had landed on his jeans. Paul grinned unrepentantly up at him, his joint dangling from between his teeth.

"Come on, oh fearless leader," Paul wheedled. "Michael's gone. It's only those kids from the comic book store left. We can handle them! I don't get why Max is being so paranoid."

"Well, maybe it's because those would-be hunters actually came this close to killing us," David snapped.

Paul's brow creased in annoyance.

"Yeah, but they had a half-vampire on their side. And they'd booby trapped that house, man!"

"They didn't booby trap anything. They were prepared."

"Yeah, well, now it's two of them versus the four of us. Doesn't matter how prepared they are. It's not like they can vampire-proof the entire boardwalk."

"Come on, David," chimed in Marko, plopping himself down next to Paul. He reached over and snatched the joint from his lips, ignoring the other blonde's complaints.

David leaned back in his wheelchair, sighing. He looked over to Dwayne. The dark haired vampire shrugged, rolling his switchblade from hand to hand.

"If you think about it," he said, "the last time we listened to Max, we almost died. And we lost family."

David wouldn't really have called Star part of the family. Sure, it'd been nice having her around, when she wasn't being all conflicted about having to kill someone to complete her transition. She had been pretty to look at, but way more trouble than she was worth. And if he really thought about it, everything that had happened to them had been her fault too. If she had just killed Michael like he had wanted her to, the boy would've never been able to lead his little brother and those hunters back to their cave. So, yeah, Star wasn't really family.

Laddie on the other hand…

David snapped his book shut and smirked at his brothers.

"Well if that's how everyone's feeling, who am I to say no?"

Five minutes later found them tearing through the woods on their bikes at breakneck speed. David would've denied it if anyone asked him, but he'd actually missed this. Flying was all well and good, but few things beat the feel of a roaring engine between his legs.

Well, all right, he could think of two.

Paul whooped with delight as they pulled up at the boardwalk, brimming with excitement and a month's worth of pent up energetic mischief. Marko laughed as the taller blonde nearly tripped over himself as he eagerly dismounted his bike.

"Smooth, man."

Even Dwayne seemed amused by Paul's antics, coming the closest to smiling since that train wreck of a night. David felt an unconscious weight lift from his shoulders.

The boardwalk hadn't changed at all. The same old rides, same old stores, same old vendors, same old tourists; it was comfortably familiar. Music drifted over from the bandstand, somehow complimenting the shrill, repetitive jingles from the different rides. Some of the regulars had noticed their arrival and were staring with open curiosity and wariness.

"Feels good to be back!" Paul exclaimed, throwing his arms out and nearly hitting a passing tourist in the face.

Marko ran up and jumped on his back, the both of them howling in laughter as they stumbled through the crowd, heading towards the lights and sounds and a more populated area. David and Dwayne followed at a more sedate pace. Reaching into his back pocket for his pack of cigarettes, Dwayne offered one to David, unsurprised when he took two, tucking the extra one behind his ear to save for later.

"You good?" David asked around his cigarette as he lit up before tossing the other boy his lighter. Dwayne grunted, which David supposed was the best response he could expect from him.

The first indication they had that things on the boardwalk weren't quite as normal as they had thought was the lack of a line at any of the rides. The audience around the bandstand was a lot smaller than it usually was too. There were people milling around, but they didn't seem to be heading towards the usual attractions. In fact, everyone seemed to be heading in the direction of the parking lot behind the Giant Dipper. It was as they were walking past Max's video store that David spotted the poster. And once Paul and Marko realised that there was a circus in town, there really was no other option but to go check it out.

A temporary village of camper vans, tents, makeshift booths and miniature stages had been set up in the large parking lot behind the Dipper. But what commanded attention was the big top that had been erected at the far end of the lot. The enormous tent boasted green and purple stripes and had numerous flags blowing in the wind above it. All the other tents, booths and stages had been set up in such a way that they formed a main thoroughfare leading towards the entrance of the big top. It was towards this entrance that the crowd was streaming.

"Tickets please."

A giant of a man stood at the entrance of the big top, collecting tickets and pointing those without tickets in the direction of the ticketing booths. The boys grinned at each other conspiratorially and veered off the thoroughfare, ducking between two shabbier looking tents.

They wandered around for a good five minutes without bumping into anyone. It looked like all the circus folk had themselves gathered under the big top, probably getting ready for that night's show. Coming up to the side of the main tent, the boys started kicking at the bottom of the canvas, trying to find a spot that wasn't stretched taut that they could crawl under.

"Help me out here," Paul hissed at Dwayne as he found a spot he deemed worthy for their illicit entrance. Dwayne rolled his eyes but went over to help him lift up the canvas anyway. Paul had wiggled halfway through the small gap between canvas and dirt when a voice sounded behind them.

"You know there are easier ways to get in."

David looked over his shoulder to find a young boy watching them with a snake draped over his shoulders. He quirked a brow at this and, when the boy noticed, he returned the gesture. The boy snorted as Paul scrambled up from the ground, dusting himself off and glaring at him.

"So you gonna call security?" asked David.

"Do I need to?" the boy responded, scratching the top of the snake's head. He eyed each Lost Boy in turn before returning his attention to David. "You guys here for the show?"

David shrugged.

"We're just curious."

The boy nodded, as if he'd expected that answer, and turned on his heels.

"Well come on then."

The boy led them further down along the tent to a barely visible slit in the canvas. The overlapping flaps blended seamlessly with the rest of the stripes and if the boy hadn't pulled one of them to the side, they would've never really noticed the entrance, even with enhanced vampire vision.

"You want to keep to the right. That'll take you to the back of the bleachers around the ring. Mr. Belteshazzar should be getting ready for the top of the show so you guys should be fine."

"Who?" asked Marko.

"He's our ringmaster. Trust me, you don't want to run into him back here."

Paul was the first to slip between the canvas, followed by Marko and then Dwayne. David paused with his hand on the canvas flap, looking back at the boy who was idly petting his snake as he watched them disappear into the darkness of the tent. The boy grinned toothily and nodded his head encouragingly. As he ducked into the tent and the canvas silently slipped back down behind him, he heard a giggle and the boy whisper.

"Welcome to the cirque."

* * *

 **A/N:** **So what do you guys think? As usual, I love hearing from you. What did you like? What did you hate?**

 **The rest of the chapters should be a little longer. We get introduced to our main OC in the next one, though she is mentioned in this chapter. I haven't decided on a pairing for this yet, though I'm leaning towards either David/OC or Paul/OC. Guess we'll see where my muse leads me.**

 **Also, I'm open to title suggestions, if anyone can think of a better one. Obviously the current one comes from Never, Never Land, but I'm not really happy with that. Suggest something and if I pick it, I'll credit you at the top of each chapter in my disclaimer.**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**

 **EDITED: 15/11/2016**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **Thanks so much to Tiffanylorain15 and FlowerChild23 for reviewing the first chapter, to Issyjewel1697 for adding this to your favs list and to Chidorifool101 for adding this to your alerts. You guys are the best!**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens  
**

A single spotlight shone down on the middle of the circus ring. Somewhere backstage, a smoke machine was working overtime, hiding the floor of the ring in a layer of thick fog about a foot high. The delicate, metallic tune of a music box drifted out from hidden speakers, adding to the surreal atmosphere under the big top.

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the darkness, seeming to have materialised from the very shadows themselves. Even standing just outside the circle of light, there was something about the figure that exuded confidence and dangerous allure. Slowly and confidently walking into the light, the figure revealed itself to be a devastatingly handsome man. The dark purple tailcoat he wore did nothing to hide his enviable physique. In fact, it drew attention to it. Even the intricate green embroidery that ran along the front of the coat, the edge of its collar and cuffs of its sleeves, and the extravagant yellow neck cloth that blossomed below his finely sculpted chin did little to emasculate him, but instead seemed to add to his mysterious appeal.

And then he spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Welcome, one and all, to Le Cirque des Ténèbres!"

His voice was rich, commanding – sinful. A soft sigh rippled through the tent. As he spoke, his hands seemed to conjure images out of the fog.

"Here, we invite you to leave your worldly cares at the door and join us as we take you on a journey to a realm where anything is possible. Where one may walk through fire unscathed, dance in the air, bend the limits of reality, and even cheat death."

He plucked his top hat off of his head and tossed it in the air. As the audience watched, spellbound, it burst into a flock of swallows that swooped down over them before spiralling around the man and dissolving into the fog. Applause broke out amongst a chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs'. The man grinned.

"I am Belteshazzar, your ringmaster. And here is where our story begins."

As he slowly backed away, returning to the shadows, a length of white silk cascaded down out of the seemingly endless darkness above the ring. It fluttered back and forth, whipping wisps of fog up from where it had settled over the ground. Suddenly, it was pulled taut, the end of the silks disappearing into the very centre of ring. The audience gasped in disbelief as a pale, thin arm reached out from the midst of the mist to grasp hold of the silk. Whispers of amazement flitted through the crowd as another arm appeared and, as they slowly made their way up the silks, a girl pulled herself out of the fog and, apparently, out of the ground. She climbed until she was several feet up in the air before fanning her legs to scoop up the silks between them. Twisting her body into the silks and crossing her legs, one over the other, she released her arms only to reach for the silk that dangled below her instead. Hanging upside down, she spun the silks in a lazy circle that got increasingly bigger and bigger, which in turn spun her faster and faster. There followed a series of tricks that showcased her enviable flexibility and incredible strength, as at times she hung only from one arm yet made it look effortless. As the melody of the music box, which had been playing softly in the background throughout the girl's routine, built up to a crescendo she scooped up the silks between her legs again before wrapping it several times around her hip. And when the music came to a thunderous climax, the girl burst into a dazzling drop that had the white silk purling before her. She came to a sudden stop mere feet from the ground, dangling upside down; the picture of perfect grace and elegance. She arched her back to reach below her, her fingers just brushing the fog, when another arm emerged from the mist and took hold of her hand. Instead of being surprised, the girl stretched out her other hand, smiling beatifically as she helped a boy, who looked to be around seven or eight, climb out from the fog. His ashy blonde curls contrasted starkly with her dark tresses, and where she was fair, his skin was sun-kissed.

The music box tune began to morph into something more garish as Belteshazzar, who had been watching the girl from the shadows the entire time, stepped back into the light. Smiling enticingly at the both of them, he reached into his coat for a glowing crystal orb. Keeping his eyes on the boy, he rolled the orb onto the back of his hand and then back onto the flat of his palm. He coaxed the shining sphere up his arm, across his shoulders and down his other arm, where he flicked it into the air only to catch it on the back of his hand again. He rolled the orb back into his palm and presented it to the boy.

The child looked to the girl, who had sat up in her silks during the ringmaster's little display. Still holding onto one of her hands, the boy gently tugged on it, as if asking her to come down. The girl eyed Belteshazzar warily and shook her head.

Belteshazzar tossed the glowing orb to the boy who reached out to catch it one-handed. But when he touched the orb, it exploded into a cloud of fireflies. The boy laughed in wonder and the tugging on the girl's hand became increasingly more insistent. When Belteshazzar produced another crystal sphere from the depths of his coat, the boy fought free of the girl's grasp and ran towards the ringmaster. But as the boy reached him, Belteshazzar snatched him up, spinning on the spot so that the fog swirled up around them. And then, as with the swallows before them, they too seemed to dissolve into the mist. The girl scrambled down from her silks, which fell to the ground behind her the minute her feet touched the floor of the ring, and ran through the roiling fog where they had disappeared.

Yet the fog kept circling around the spot Belteshazzar had last been standing in, the movement getting faster and faster until, from the epicentre of the spiral, a spark ignited, transforming the whirling fog into a reeling wall of fire that encircled the girl. The audience cried out in awe, the first few rows lifting their hands up to protect their eyes from the glare of the flames, amazed at the actual heat they could feel. And then, just as suddenly as the fire started, it curled back in on itself, retreating to form a column in the middle of the ring that then dissipated to reveal a bare-chested, dark-skinned man.

The audience marvelled as he caused flames to spring from one hand to the other, swallowing it before breathing it out again like a dragon. He juggled five, seven, ten balls of fire, tossing them high up into the air before catching each ball in his mouth. He threw tongues of fire at targets that sprung up around the ring, hitting each one with deadly accuracy. The flames danced up and down his arms but did not seem to even singe him. Through it all, the girl tried to get his attention, asking him if he had seen the boy, imploring the man to help her find him.

Each act flowed seamlessly into the other. From out of a wall of fire, a roaring lion burst forth, signalling the transition to the next performer. Every entrance was so spectacular and attention grabbing that no one spared a thought to wonder how the previous performer made his or her exit from the ring. Every now and then, Belteshazzar and the boy would make a brief appearance in the ring, interacting with the act that happened to be performing. With each successive act, the boy's initially angelic countenance seemed to grow darker and darker. And with each successive act, the girl grew bolder and bolder in her attempts to recruit the others' help in retrieving him.

After the dark-skinned man came a woman who could talk to animals, each beast she introduced into the ring seemed far more dangerous than the last yet she controlled them all with ease. Here Belteshazzar introduced the boy to her snakes, encouraging him to pick them up and let them coil themselves around him. Then came a couple on a flying trapeze with increasingly death defying stunts who tossed the boy in the air between them; a troupe of gymnasts who could bend their bodies into impossible shapes, freaking out both the boy and the audience; a brother and sister duo who possessed unbelievable strength, concluding their act by each balancing an elephant that carried Belteshazzar and the boy on one hand; and a woman with amazing reflexes whose act was basically one elaborate fight scene that had her dodging or catching flying projectiles that were thrown or shot at her.

Belteshazzar had just handed the boy a slim throwing knife, egging him on to join in the fight, when the girl finally caught up with them, cartwheeling and back-flipping through the woman's act in order to do so. The boy's silvery blonde hair was now streaked through with black. His eyes had seemed to take on a yellowish tint and his ears certainly looked like they had more of a point to them. Those in the first few rows of the audience could've sworn that tufts of grey fur had sprouted over the child's elbows and, if they looked closely enough, his hands and bare feet had taken on a bonier, claw-like appearance.

The boy was not happy to see the girl. When she made to reach for him, he lashed out with the knife, causing the audience to gasp in terror. With this act, the boy underwent yet another transformation – he grew a long black tail. Where the child had not seemed to notice the other little changes in him, there was no ignoring this extra, furry appendage. He gave a cry of shock, dropping the throwing knife as he grabbed at his tail.

Belteshazzar laughed as the boy shot him a look of utter betrayal. The girl moved to place herself between the ringmaster and the child. Belteshazzar raised a hand and snapped his fingers; the sound an impossibly loud crack which echoed through the tent. The chaos that had been surrounding them with the woman's act came to a sudden standstill. The lights dimmed until everyone but Belteshazzar, the girl and the cat-boy faded into the shadows. The music box melody started up again and thick fog began to creep back into the ring.

The sense of danger that had initially surrounded the ringmaster increased tenfold, though it did not make him any less attractive. He extended a hand towards them, a sinister invitation that had the boy peeking out from behind the girl to hiss at him.

With another snap of his fingers, six spotlights lit up the aisles between the bleachers on which the audience sat, revealing each of the performers that had appeared that night. They began to approach the ring with slow, measured steps; like predators stalking their prey. Not a sound could be heard throughout the big top as the audience watched with rapt attention. The girl and cat-boy backed away from Belteshazzar and the others until they stood under a single bright spotlight in the centre of the ring, back where they had begun.

As Belteshazzar and the performers closed in on them, the girl and cat-boy looked around desperately for a means of escape. The girl looked up into the light, shielding her eyes from its glare and suddenly seemed to recognise where she was. Falling to her knees, she felt around in the fog for something. The others were barely a foot outside of their circle of light when the girl raised her hand triumphantly above her, holding a metal ring aloft that had the end of a length of white silk wrapped around it.

What happened next defied the laws of physics as the girl tossed the ring in the air. But instead of falling back towards them after a few feet, gravity seemed to have lost its hold on the metal ring as it sailed continually upwards and disappeared in the darkness that covered the roof of the tent. Belteshazzar and the others had stopped in their tracks at this unexpected turn of events but as the girl grabbed a hold of the silks, they were spurred into action.

But the girl and cat-boy had seemed to come to an unspoken agreement to stand their ground. Instead of climbing up the silks, the girl whipped its end towards the nearest threat, the sister in the strong team duo. The end of the silk wrapped around the other girl's waist and when the girl tugged sharply on the silks still in her hand, it sent her spinning away into the shadows, like a human top.

Roaring with rage, her brother charged the cat-boy, who easily leaped over his head, landing silently behind him to kick the other boy towards the girl who waited to wrap him in her silks. The fight that ensued between the girl and the cat-boy against Belteshazzar and his performers was at times comical and nerve wrecking at others. But it was never outright violent. One by one, the girl and cat-boy took care of the others, dodging fiery projectiles, flipping and twisting gracefully out of the reach of lions and tigers. Together, they knocked out their opponents or sent them spinning into the darkness with a flick of the girl's silks, never to return, until only Belteshazzar remained, fuming and looking entirely put out at the unexpected turn of events.

The trio faced each other in a strange kind of Mexican standoff. The cat-boy snarled at the ringmaster. The girl wrapped her hand tighter around her silks. Belteshazzar suddenly smirked, pulling himself up to his full height before bowing mockingly to them. Just as the cat-boy pounced and the girl whipped her silks towards him, the fog around his legs flared up and the ringmaster once again vanished.

The cat-boy looked around him in confusion before slowly making his way back to the girl who enveloped the child in a fierce hug. The audience watched in amazed silence as the girl ran her slim hands through his hair and in that simple action seemed to wipe the black streaks out of his curls. She ran her hands over his shoulders, down his arms and over his elbows until she held his hands in hers. Everywhere her hands passed over broke whatever spell it was that had caused the boy's animalistic changes and soon his olive skin was as smooth and fur-free as her own. When she ran her hand along his tail, the boy giggled as if the action had tickled him, and then he stared in awe as the tail disappeared in a wisp of black smoke.

Walking hand in hand towards the silks, the pair wrapped their free arm around the pearly white material. An invisible force began to pull the silks back up into the darkness above the ring, lifting them off the ground. Sharing a secret smile, they disappeared into the safety of the light.

There was a moment of stunned silence as the last tinny notes of the music box faded away. And then the audience erupted into thunderous applause.

* * *

Remy was removing her heavy stage makeup when Belteshazzar came up behind her, settling his hands upon her shoulders. He grinned toothily at her in the mirror.

"Well, I'd say that was a rather successful opening night, wouldn't you?"

"I suppose that depends on your definition of success."

Belteshazzar laughed good-naturedly, turning the girl around and reaching out to tilt her chin up so that her eyes met his.

"A sold out performance with a standing ovation?"

Remy gently pushed herself off where she had been leaning back against the dressing room table, stepping out of Belteshazzar's hold in the process as well. Around them, various cirque folk, both performers and stagehands, were bustling about, either resetting the ring for tomorrow evening's show or getting ready for their shorter acts along the main drag.

"Then yes, I would say it was a smashing success."

Belteshazzar watched in amusement as Remy crossed over to a clothing rack, her entire body humming with irritation. She slid the straps of the white satin shift that had been her costume during the show off her shoulders, unperturbed as it pooled to the floor around her ankles. She shrugged on a cropped sweater and pulled on a pair of track pants. Twisting her dark hair into a messy bun on the top of her head, she secured it with a hair tie she found in one of her pockets.

"What's bugging you?"

Remy closed her eyes, sighing in annoyance, before she shook her head.

"Nothing. I'm just tired, that's all."

Belteshazzar snorted.

"Right. Are you sure it's not because you're hungry?"

Remy's eyes snapped open as she glared at the older man who looked far too pleased with himself.

"No, I'm not hungry. Tonight's show was exhausting. Especially with all those 'magic tricks' you wrote into the show."

Belteshazzar crossed his arms, leaning back against the dressing table, the perfect picture of careless hauteur.

"Oh please, I know what you're capable of Remy and tonight's show barely scratched the surface." A light of understanding dawned in his eyes. "You felt it too, didn't you? Well, that's interesting."

Remy seemed to deflate at this. She tugged at the fraying edge of one of her sleeves.

"I don't understand why we're here."

Just then, Leander ran up to her, the boy's angelic curls bouncing in his enthusiasm. He had certainly seemed pleased with his performance in the show. It was the first time that Belteshazzar had cast him in a leading role, although he'd had smaller parts in other acts in previous shows.

"Remy! Remy! Remy! Aren't you ready yet?"

The boy's energy was certainly infectious and Remy found herself smiling easily back at him. She reached out to ruffled his hair.

"Yup, I am!" She looked back up at Belteshazzar. "We'll see you later then."

"Wait!"

Belteshazzar approached them. Remy frowned. Leander shuffled his feet impatiently.

"Leander," the man intoned, "empty your pockets, please?"

"Aww, Mr. Belteshazzar, sir," the boy whined.

"Sylvaine mentioned that she caught you with one of her snakes earlier. You know you're not supposed to wander around with her animals, Leander."

The boy pouted up at him.

"I was just taking him out for a walk, sir. He doesn't like being cooped up in his tank."

Remy gave the boy a wry smile.

"And who else are you planning on taking out for a walk tonight?"

Looking between the ringmaster and the girl, Leander realised that there was no convincing them. He sighed dejectedly. Reaching into the pocket of his hoodie, he pulled out a hairy tarantula that barely fit in his hand. Remy laughed.

"Let me guess. She was bored?" she asked, thoroughly enjoying the disconcerted look on Belteshazzar's face as he gingerly accepted the arachnid from the boy. If there was one thing Remy had learnt in the many years since she had been with the cirque, it was that their ringmaster was not the biggest fan of spiders. "Well, I supposed we'll leave you to it then. Don't worry, Lee. Mr. Belteshazzar will make sure Sylvie gets her tarantula back."

Remy laughed as she guided Leander out of the dressing area at the back of the big top. They ducked out of one of the back entrances, walking in between the numerous camper vans that made up their little travelling village. She had promised him that she would bring him to the boardwalk that night as he had spent most of the day doing his bit to help them get set up for that evening's show. And with most of the boardwalk's usual customers drawn to their cirque, it would hopefully not be that crowded. Ironically, Remy hated crowds.

They walked out onto the main thoroughfare somewhere between Jasna's makeshift stage and Generys' tent. Remy waved when Jasna caught her eye, catching the older woman in mid-swallow of one of her swords.

Outside Generys' tent, a scuffle seemed to be taking place. One of their strong men was trying to keep two groups of men separated. As Remy and Leander drew nearer to them, she realised that the groups were more boys really, and that there was far too much leather and denim between them, especially for a place as warm as Santa Carla.

"Oh! I know them!" exclaimed the boy, pointing at the four who seemed more entertained at the tussle than angry.

"And exactly how do you know them?" Remy asked sceptically. "We've been here for less than a day."

"You really need to get out more, Remy," Leander teased. "You'll never make any friends by hiding out in your trailer."

"Friends?" Remy scoffed. "You forget, Lee. I happen to know what happens to your 'friends'. And as for my trailer; I happen to like being a hermit, thank you very much!"

Her head snapped up as a yell caught her attention. Whatever had happened had caused the four to smirk while their strong man held the other side back. She sighed.

"Well, let's go rescue your friends then."

The strong man looked up in relief when he noticed their approach.

"How's it going, Angus?" Leander greeted the strong man with a cheeky grin.

"Lee," the man returned the greeting gruffly. "Remy. Caught these boys trying to start a fight in the middle of Genny's act."

Remy arched a brow.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time her routine started a riot." She turned to look each male in the eyes. Something about the four who stood on the other side of Angus rubbed her the wrong way, but she couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. "All right, boys. We've got some ground rules here at the cirque. One of them is no fighting on our grounds. Simple enough. But if you can't do that then I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to leave."

Remy zeroed in on whom she thought was the leader of the larger group, holding the bigger male's gaze until he looked away uncomfortably. She smiled.

"Now it's too bad you had to miss the rest of Genny's act. She really is quite talented. But if you'll follow Angus, he'll make sure you get complimentary tickets for tomorrow's show. No hard feelings, right?"

The strong man mouthed a silent 'thank you' as he herded them away. Remy turned to find that Leander had cozied up to the four boys while she had been dealing with the other group. He was chattering away with two of the blondes, talking a mile a minute and waving his arms about animatedly. Remy watched as the dark-haired boy ruffled Leander's hair and decided that, if they were putting up with Leander, they couldn't be as awful as she initially thought.

"Remy!" Leander called out, noticing that she had finished dealing with the other group. "Can they come with us?"

The boys didn't seem to mind that they had just been invited by a child to spend the rest of their evening with two complete strangers. Remy wondered if they were just too polite to disappoint him. She shook her head.

"I'm sure your new friends have better things to do, Lee." She looked up at the only one who hadn't interacted directly with Leander. "You really don't have to feel obliged to him."

The blonde smirked. Something about it irritated her, probably the fact that it was somewhat reminiscent of Belteshazzar's superior attitude.

"Not at all," he replied.

"See, Remy?" Leander enthused. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Remy sighed. She could feel a headache coming on. But dealing with a grumpy Leander would've been worse. She forced a smile onto her lips.

"Sure. You boys know anywhere we could grab a bite to eat?"

* * *

 **A/N:** **So the boys meet our main OC.**

 **Remy's act was originally going to be based loosely based on Tanya Burka's performance of Rosa the Abandoned Bride (at least I think that's what the act was called). But then I realised that it wasn't really all that interesting to give a blow by blow of her entire choreography. Tanya's silks and hoop routines inspired me greatly when I first got into aerial silks and lyra and I still love her stuff. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the recording of her act on youtube anymore but the rough draft of it is still up under the title "Aerial Silks at the Museum of Glass". Not the best quality video since it was uploaded 8 years ago but still worth checking out.**

 **To all the purists out there, yes, I know that aerial silks as an apparatus didn't come into use until 1995, but this is fanfiction. I think we're allowed a little creative liberty here, don't you?**

 **I'm thinking of changing the title to "Heathens" after the Twenty One Pilots song. What do you guys think? It seems fitting to me, although not very Peter Pan related.**

 **The next update might take a little longer because exams week's coming up and I still need to finish this grad paper. Time for Scribbles to graduate from grad school.**

 **As always, I love hearing from you guys. Constructive criticism is always welcome but flames will be used to stoke the bonfire behind my school. It's been getting colder these days.**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**

 **EDITED: 15/11/2016**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. But guess who's graduated with her Masters? Woot woot! My friend and I took a short trip to Greece to celebrate the end of the semester and then I had to pack two and a half years' worth of stuff into one suitcase and fly halfway around the world for my move back home, which explains the further delay in getting this out.**

 **I also apologise for any formatting issues/differences throughout this chapter as I had to keep switching back and forth between pages and word on different devices.**

 **Thank you to Tiffanylorain15, FlowerChild23 and marauderDawn for reviewing that last chapter, and thanks to everyone who favourited or added this to their alerts list. You guys are the best!**

 **DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens**

"Wakey, wakey, Sleeping Beauty!"

Remy groaned as a bright shaft of sunlight hit her eyes. She could hear someone rummaging about in her trailer, humming obnoxiously loud and off-key. Rolling over, she buried her face into her bed and pulled her pillow over her head for good measure.

Last night had been awful. Sure, Leander had fun. But it was awful.

She remembered them leaving the cirque for the boardwalk, the boys chatting with and teasing Leander along the way. Or at least the two younger blondes were. They had introduced themselves as Paul and Marko and were both as excitable as puppies. They certainly did nothing to calm Leander down, and he was already rather energized from that night's show. The other two – if she remembered correctly, their names were David and Dwayne – were more of the strong, silent type. She found their lack of loquaciousness a bit unnerving.

It hadn't helped that her headache had gotten progressively worse throughout the night. The slightly annoying throbbing behind her eyes had grown to the point where it felt like she had a troupe of midgets with jackhammers pounding away at her skull. But the worst part of it all was the nagging feeling that this was familiar, that she had experienced such a headache before and it was a defensive measure of some sort. Only she couldn't remember what her body or her mind was trying to defend her against. It'd been some time since she had felt so unsure of herself.

Remy was sure it had something to do with the boys. But Leander had refused to hear a word against them. He had decided that he liked them and that was that. And they certainly hadn't done anything that could be construed as threatening. In fact, they had been downright nice, almost as if they could sense her discomfort and had been trying to put her at ease.

Paul was the friendliest of the bunch, slinging his arm across her shoulders as he practically grilled her on her life history. It made walking side by side a bit difficult considering their vast differences in height but he didn't seem to notice the not-so-subtle glares she sent his way. He had made a game of trying to guess where she was from since her features hinted at an Asian descent. Leander finally gave it away, revealing that she had been born in Lapland, in the northern most reaches of Finland. This then led to a lengthy explanation about the differences between the Sami and Inuit people and why it was not ok for him to call her an eskimo. Remy held him primarily responsible for her worsening headache.

The others made the odd comment here and there, most of them polite. Marko seemed most interested in the fact that her family had been reindeer herders. From what she could gather, the boy was a bit of an animal lover himself. It certainly seemed like the reason why Leander appeared to like him the most out of the four.

Their idea of a decent place to eat turned out to be a run down looking diner on the edge of the boardwalk. But Remy had to admit, the food was certainly delicious. Greasy and fattening, it was just what her body craved after an exhausting performance.

Speaking of food, from the direction of her kitchen came the sound of the fridge door slamming shut. Metal clanged against metal as someone dropped something into the sink. The blender buzzed to life.

"It's kind of impressive how she's managing to sleep through all this racket," came a smooth, velvety voice.

Someone snorted.

"She's faking it," scoffed a voice Remy identified as Generys'. "Remy's not really a morning person."

"But it's two in the afternoon," said a third voice, soft and feminine.

Growling dangerously, Remy extended her arm in the general direction of the trailer's kitchen and sharply flicked her hand. Protests sounded as the curtains drew themselves across the windows, plunging the trailer back into darkness. The faucet turned itself on and there came the sound of dishes being scrubbed clean. The blender abruptly cut off.

Generys sighed exasperatedly.

"All that power and you choose to use it to get a couple more minutes of sleep. You really need to work on your priorities."

"And you need to work on not barging into people's homes," Remy snapped.

And then she yelped in surprise as someone tipped her mattress, rolling her out of bed. She hissed as she landed on the floor with a painful thump and pushed herself up to glare at her attacker. Kakra and Zesiro stood at the end of her bed, arms akimbo on their rather generous hips. Kakra was smirking at her while her more reserved twin smiled sheepishly.

 _Sorry_ , Zesiro mouthed at her.

Belteshazzar had picked up the Siamese twins in Egypt a couple of years ago. They were physically stunning – tall and olive-skinned, with faces that wouldn't seem out of place on a fashion magazine. There was just the small matter of them being two heads on one body. Their family had been more than eager to foist their unmarriageable daughters off on the strange traveller and the twins had jumped at the opportunity to see the world. The fact that they spoke Arabic had further added to their exoticness, though they picked up English quickly enough and now spoke it with a barely discernible accent.

Generys was in her kitchen, trying to plug the blender into another outlet.

"Oh please, if you really wanted to keep people out, you would've put up some proper wards. And did you really just short out the power in your own trailer just to spite me?"

"Maybe," Remy muttered as she got to her feet.

Lazily waving her fingers at her bed, Remy stifled a yawn as her pillows and blankets levitated themselves off the floor and her bed made itself. The twins looked on in wonder. Despite being with the cirque for a while, they still seemed in awe at what everyone else could do. Though she supposed she couldn't really blame them. She was, after all, the only magic wielder in the cirque.

Whilst everyone had their own particular skill sets that they built their acts around – shape shifting, sword swallowing, manipulation of the elements – Remy was responsible for more than just her own performances. She was the one who created all the 'special effects' for their main shows. If someone needed to disappear from the centre of the ring and reappear somewhere else, it was up to her to either teleport them or create a diversion that would allow them to make their exit unobtrusively. If a stage prop needed to be transformed into a kaleidoscope of butterflies, she'd be hiding out in the wings to make it happen. If the big top needed to be filled with fog, it was her job to make it happen. After all, she was much cheaper than a smoke machine.

"Jasna said she saw you leave the cirque with a group of boys last night," Kakra suddenly blurted out. "Is that why you're tired?"

Remy paused mid-stretch, staring at the more outspoken twin incredulously. Was she implying what she thought she was implying?

"I'm tired because we had a ridiculously magic heavy show last night. Yes, I left with a group of guys but Leander was with us the entire time."

"If you're all magicked out, why are you wasting energy on doing chores?" Generys retorted. She had abandoned the blender and was trying to mix whatever it was she was making with a whisk.

"Because I happen to like my trailer to be clean. What are you guys doing here anyways?"

The three women grinned at this. Even Zesiro seemed uncharacteristically excited.

"We're in Santa Carla, girl," said Generys, pouring the concoction she'd been working on into a clean glass. She reached for one of the wine bottles that lay in the wine rack above the kitchen counter, uncorked the bottle and took a tentative sniff before adding a splash of the red liquid into the mixture. "We're hitting the beach!"

"But I hate sand," Remy whined. She accepted the glass that Generys shoved into her hand, eyeing the drink suspiciously before taking a cautious sip.

"It does get everywhere," Zesiro agreed.

"I thought you two used to live in the desert?" asked Generys.

"Doesn't mean we have an inherent love of sand," Zesiro countered.

"Speak for yourself," said Kakra.

"What am I drinking?" asked Remy.

"It's my famous hangover cure, laced with a bit of your favourite 'rosé'," said Generys as she stepped out of the kitchen to ransack Remy's tiny closet instead. "Please tell me you have a bikini somewhere in here."

"But I'm not hungover. And I don't see why you should care if I own one or not."

Generys popped her head around the closet door, an incredulous look on her face.

"Are you telling me that you spent the night with four incredibly attractive guys and you didn't even have one drink? And I care because you have a figure to die for and you should be showing it off."

"How do you even know they were attractive? Like I said, Leander was with us the entire time. I wasn't going to go drinking with him around. I wouldn't go drinking with strangers period. Also, I have no boobs."

The twins had been looking a little lost at their quick banter, but Kakra quickly latched onto Remy's question.

"So they _were_ attractive?" she asked eagerly.

Remy rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated groan.

"Can we talk about something else?"

"No," Generys retorted, returning her attention to her search for acceptable beachwear. "There is a serious lack datable guys in the cirque, mostly because it'll be kind of like dating your brother considering everyone here's pretty much family, so we've got to resort to outsiders. And outsiders are usually far too shy or far too grabby. I want to know which category these boys fall into. Mostly because I saw them at my show last night and, sweetheart, you need your eyes checked if you don't find them good-looking."

"Maybe I just have higher standards," Remy shrugged, tipping the remainder of Generys' hangover cure down her throat.

Generys replied by chucking a t-shirt at the other girl's head.

"You guys are lucky," sighed Zesiro. "We usually get kids or the weirdos at our booth, and they're kind of disgusting. The weirdos, I mean, not the kids."

A sudden cry of triumph turned their attention back to Generys, who'd emerged from the closet, waving a black scrap of fabric above her head.

"I knew I remembered Suzie giving you one last Christmas!" she grinned.

"Knew I'd regret not burning that," Remy grumbled. "Genny, I really don't want to go."

But Generys simply rolled her eyes and approached the other girl, brandishing the bikini top menacingly.

"Stop being such a big baby! Now, get dressed! We're getting some sun on your skin. You look half-dead."

* * *

Pickings were slim on the boardwalk that evening. David had a feeling that they'd have to stick to the partiers on the beach from now on unless they were willing to try their hand at hunting on the circus grounds.

Last night had been interesting.

His brothers had thoroughly enjoyed the show. Marko had wanted to try to find the animal enclosures afterwards. Paul had been more interested in the show's pyrotechnics. And even Dwayne had questions about the more technical aspects of the performance, like how well the wires were hidden so that even their enhanced eyesight missed them, because there really was no other explanation for how certain things in the show defied the laws of physics like they did.

Then there had been the girl – Remy.

David had noticed right away that she didn't like them, which was curious since most girls her age were easy enough prey to their charms. Paul had even been laying on the vampire glamour really thick but she was having none of it, only putting up with them for the boy Leander's sake. She made no attempt to try to really befriend them, let alone pull any of the typical flirting ploys that other girls usually employed when in their company. She wasn't scared of them either, like how some people were. She didn't cringe when Paul invaded her personal space, nor did she tense up when they offered the two of them rides on their bikes, not so subtly hinting at wanting to lure her and the boy to a more secluded area. Instead, she had turned them down politely, and frostily, and turned the conversation to their opinion on the kinds of rides on the boardwalk that they thought Leander might enjoy.

If David were completely honest with himself, it was kind of refreshing. And amusing. Somehow the night had ended with none of them particularly wanting to make a meal out of either her or the boy.

The brunette giggling into his shoulder at the moment was the polar opposite of the circus girl. She reeked of vodka and cigarette smoke, though underneath it all he could smell just the slightest hint of innocence – a college freshman succumbing to the peer pressure of her more worldly friends. Paul and Marko had wandered off ten minutes ago with two of her more inebriated companions, while Dwayne had gone off on his own to find dinner that wasn't so alcohol imbued, leaving him and the brunette sitting on a bench, staring stupidly out at the ocean. She sighed dreamily.

"It's kind of beautiful, isn't it?"

"What is?" he asked, trying to sound interested.

"The water at night."

She snuggled closer into his side. He looked down at her dark curls and reached over to lift her chin up so that she was looking straight into his eyes. He smiled disarmingly.

"Want to go for a dip?"

"I don't have a swimsuit with me," she laughed.

"So?"

He felt her hesitate, debating with herself just how far she was willing to take her new found rebellious streak. He could practically see the arguments going on behind her slightly glazed eyes. Maybe someone had told her at some point that she was far too prudish, maybe someone had made fun of her for not taking risks; whatever it was, he was leading her towards a more deserted section of the beach two minutes later. Dwayne and Paul found him after he'd weighed down her pockets with rocks and dumped her corpse over the ocean.

"Where's Marko?"

"He ran into that circus kid on the boardwalk," Paul answered. "He had some sort of ferret with him so of course Marko went off with him."

A slightly distracted look came over Dwayne's features as he reached out through the mental bond the four of them shared to search for their wayward brother. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Apparently the kid's led him back to where they keep the animals. Marko's ecstatic."

"I suppose we should go get him before we lose him to the circus," said David.

The circus grounds were considerably more crowded than the night before. Word must have gotten around that the acts they had on offer were well worth the price of an admission ticket. There was a long line outside the tent they had gotten kicked out of last night and a sea of people around an outdoor stage where what looked to be a half-man, half-wolf creature was prowling; growling every now and then when someone came too close.

As with the previous night, there wasn't really anyone checking for tickets until they got closer to the big top and David wondered exactly how the circus made any money. It was far too easy for people to sneak in. No one stopped them when they ducked between a booth and a tent and wandered further into the makeshift traveling village. They finally found Marko on the far side of the circus grounds where several flimsy enclosures constructed out of chicken wire had been set up. They certainly didn't look substantial enough to keep any of the animals in, though none of them seemed eager to make an escape either.

Marko looked up from the panther he'd been petting and grinned toothily at them. Leander was standing on the other side of the wild cat, scratching it behind the ears.

"This is so fucking awesome!" the younger blonde exclaimed.

"How is it not tearing you to pieces?" asked Paul.

"Who cares?" Marko replied.

"Dinah would never hurt a soul," said Leander like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Not unless Sylvaine told her to."

"Who's Sylvaine?" David asked.

"She's the one who's going to kick your ass if she finds you back here."

David turned to find Remy standing behind him and wondered how she had snuck up on them. He could've sworn he hadn't heard any footsteps and his brothers seemed just as surprised to see her. The girl was dressed in a black sequined outfit and a pair of towering heels that showed off her legs. Her hair was sleeked back into a bun that looked painfully tight and she had on far too much makeup. She did not look too happy to see them.

"Woah," muttered Paul. "That wasn't what you were wearing last night."

Remy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"That's because we're not doing a show tonight."

"It's the Globe of Death on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays so we work the main drag," chimed in Leander.

"Which is where you're meant to be, Lee. You've kind of left Fillin hanging there."

"Globe of death?" questioned Paul. "That's sounds interesting."

"But I'm sick of standing around for people to stare at me, Remy." The boy looked up and David could swear he saw a trace of fear behind his eyes. "Is Mr. Belteshazzar looking for me?"

The girl looked from Leander, to Paul and back to the boy again, her eyes softening.

"Yeah, okay," she sighed. "I get that, Lee. And no, he isn't looking for you. He doesn't know you sneaked off. But you guys can't be back here. Sylvie would freak. Come on."

No one moved. Remy reached up to run her hand through her hair, frowning when she realized that was impossible. They could practically feel the irritation radiating off of her. David smirked.

"I think Marko's half in love with that cat, so we're not going anywhere for a while," said David, leaning against the rickety chicken wire fence and reaching into his jacket for his cigarettes. Before he could even draw one from the carton, Remy had marched over to him and snatched them out of his hands. Her heels gave her quite a bit of added height so she didn't have to tilt her head back as far as she normally would have to in order to glare straight into his eyes.

"I don't think you guys quite get it," she hissed. "Sylvie lets Leander wonder around back here because he's part of the cirque; he's family. She doesn't like strangers. And guess what you guys are?"

"Dashingly charming?" Marko offered.

Dwayne smiled at Remy's annoyance. Paul outright snickered. David made to grab for his pack of cigarettes but Remy stepped out of his reach.

"Sylvie's freak outs aren't pretty. You guys really don't want to be around for them."

"Oh, Remy," said David, placing his hand over his heart. "I didn't know you cared." David stepped towards her, lips curling up in amusement when she stood her ground. "Don't worry about us. We can look after ourselves."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh, I'm not worried," she sneered. "I just don't want to have to clean up after her when she's done with you."

"Remy."

Both of them turned at the sound of Leander's voice. His brothers were watching them, not even bothering to hide their outright delight at the exchange. But the boy wasn't looking at them. He was staring, wide-eyed, at something behind them. Remy looked over her shoulder to see what had caught the boy's attention and David noticed how she physically stiffened at what she saw.

"Shit," she breathed.

Someone was coming.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd always imagined Remy being of Sami descent but only just realized that I forgot to mention that. My bad.**

 **I was originally going to have Remy and the boys spend some time seeing the other shows in the cirque but then she and David decided to have a little tiff instead. Oops.**

 **Question: Do you guys like the switching back and forth between the boy's (well mainly David's so far) POV and Remy's? I'm trying to decide if I should just stick to hers.**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **Thanks to FlowerChild23 and Tiffanylorain15 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are my most consistent reviewers, which makes you all sorts of amazing in my book! Thanks as well to everyone else for putting this story on your favourites or alerts list.**

 **I'm going to stick more to Remy's POV from here on out. Though another character's POV might pop up every now and then if it furthers the plot.**

 **Side-note: OMG, did you guys hear/see the Twenty One Pilots x Mutemath sessions?! LOVE 3**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens**

Under normal circumstances, Remy and the boys would have been too far away and not well lit enough to be recognisable. However, the look on Leander's face and the perking up of the panther's ears told Remy exactly who was making their way towards them.

"Shit," she repeated.

Thankfully, Leander was already springing into action, trying to herd the boys away from the animals. Unfortunately, they didn't seem all too eager to go anywhere. Remy normally wouldn't care if anything happened to them but Leander liked them for some reason. And she cared about Leander.

"Someone you know?" asked David. Now that they weren't arguing with each other, Remy found him far too close for her liking and took a couple of steps back.

"You guys need to leave. Now."

They didn't budge. Remy wished she'd paid more attention to those times Generys had tried to teach her how to flirt. That woman knew how to wrap a man around her little finger, making him do whatever she wanted. Jasna had her ways too, though that usually involved some rather inappropriate puns about her sword-swallowing prowess. She could feel another headache building up.

"Ok," she exhaled exasperatedly. "How about you guys go with Lee to see the Globe of Death? You guys like motorbikes, right?"

"The globe of death has bikes?" asked Paul; interest peaked at this new information.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Leander, tugging insistently on Marko's arm. "It has a whole bunch of bikes in this metal cage. You guys will love it!"

Remy hoped that was enough to get them to leave. Worst-case scenario, she'd have to teleport them somewhere else and then wipe their memories, but memory wipes were always risky. And wiping four of them in one go was not something she was too keen on doing; there was a higher chance of one or more of them ending up with their brains permanently scrambled. She could practically see David toying with the idea of just staying put. Paul seemed eager to go see the Globe of Death. Marko appeared conflicted between wanting to watch motorbike stunts and remaining with the animals. Dwayne – well it was hard to tell what he was thinking since he wasn't exactly the most emotive person. Just as Remy geared herself up to magic them out of there, David shrugged nonchalantly.

"Sounds cool." He held out his hand and leaned into her, smirking right in her face. "If I get my cigarettes back."

She slapped them into his outstretched hand, physically turned him around and pushed him towards Leander.

"Wonderful! Why don't you guys run along now. Grab a soda or popcorn or something. On me."

Leander was pretty much dragging Marko away now. Dwayne was watching the quickly approaching figure, quirking an eyebrow in question when he turned back to look at her. But he followed after Marko and Paul without saying a word. David threw one last look over his shoulder that made her feel like one of those frogs that people sliced open in biology class before making to catch up with the others and Remy knew she hadn't heard the last of it. She'd have some major explaining to do later. Sighing, she hurried to intercept the newcomer.

"Sylvie!" she called out, plastering a smile on her face. "Hey! Need any help with that?"

"Don't you 'hey' me, Remy," growled the older woman, dropping six buckets of raw meat at her feet. "Who the fuck were those guys?"

Remy knew better than to lie to her. Sylvaine had the uncanny ability of sniffing out deceit and was renowned for holding grudges. Besides being able to communicate with animals, the woman also shared some of their traits, like being able to see in the dark and being as strong as a draft horse.

"Just a couple of Lee's friends. You know how he is."

This seemed to placate her a little, though she was still glaring in the direction the boys had last been walking towards. She picked up two of the buckets and shoved them into Remy's hands.

"He should know better," Sylvie growled, picking up the other buckets and storming off towards the wildcat pens. Remy followed behind her as quickly as possible in her staggering heels. "Bad enough that the boy keeps taking them out of their enclosures, but bringing strangers around is just asking for trouble. What if one of them had provoked Dinah? If she had shown even the slightest hint of aggression, they probably would've insisted she be put down. People are so touchy about that these days. And furthermore…"

Remy let Sylvie rant, knowing that the more the woman talked, the less likely she would be to physically lash out in anger. She quietly emptied her buckets into the hyena and crocodile pens and watched the animals savagely fall on the pieces of raw meat. It always amazed her how Sylvie's animals could be so calm one moment and then be completely vicious when it came to feeding time.

"…wants to see you. He looked kind of pissed that you weren't at your stage. Remy? Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm listening."

"Really?" retorted Sylvie. "What did I just say then?"

"You asked me if I was listening to you," Remy replied smoothly.

"Don't be a smartass," Sylvie deadpanned, emptying her last bucket into the lion enclosure. "I said Mr. Belteshazzar's looking for you."

That certainly got Remy's attention.

"What's up between the two of you anyway?" asked Sylvie, annoyance replaced by curiosity.

Remy frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me," said Sylvie, stacking the empty buckets. "Everyone knows you've been here the longest. You practically started the cirque with him, though I don't know how that works since you barely look a day over sixteen. And he treats you different."

"He doesn't treat me differently," Remy laughed uncomfortably.

"You're the only one who doesn't call him _Mister_ Belteshazzar," pointed out the other woman. Taking back Remy's empty buckets, Sylvie tucked all six buckets under her arm and began walking towards her trailer. "Plus he's always seeking you out. People talk, you know. Just giving you the chance to tell your side of the story, since I really don't put much stock in gossip."

"Well you're kind of gossiping right now!" Remy called after her. "And there's nothing to tell because there's nothing going on!"

Sylvie waved her hand dismissively, not even bothering to turn around. Remy glared at her retreating back. Well, at least she hadn't turned violent. Remy hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said that Sylvie would've beaten up the boys if she'd caught them. She had a notorious temper and tended to throw punches before asking questions. The last time she had found an outsider near her animals, she had beaten the poor man to within an inch of his life. The entire incident had to be hushed up. Remy had to wipe his mind before anonymously dropping him off at a hospital. Belteshazzar had not been happy.

Speaking of which, Remy supposed she should go look for the man. After all, Belteshazzar didn't like to be kept waiting.

Remy made her way back towards the main thoroughfare, back to the lights and sounds. Children ran, seemingly unchecked, from booth to booth, marvelling at the impossible feats performed or the unbelievable oddities of nature. She noticed Fillin's stage was empty now. Hopefully he was getting some rest. The man's act involved staying in his half-wolf form, which was not only tiring but usually left him ravenous as well. Leander was the same way whenever he exerted too much energy switching back and forth between his human and half-cat forms. Which was why she had been so surprised when Belteshazzar had first written the boy into the main show, especially considering what had happened the first time Leander had to maintain his half-cat form for an extended period of time. It had been another incident that involved memory wipes in addition to disposing of a body.

Crossing to the other side of the thoroughfare, Remy made her way towards Belteshazzar's trailer. There really was nothing special to differentiate it from the trailer of any other cirque folk. It wasn't bigger or glitzier. It simply looked liked any other trailer on the lot, its only distinguishing feature being that there were metal shutters over the windows that seemed to be welded shut. She knocked on the door and didn't have long to wait before it swung open to reveal a candle lit interior and an annoyed looking man.

"Where have you been, young lady?" he admonished.

Remy rolled her eyes.

"Please. I don't have to answer to you." She pushed past him and entered the trailer. "It's not like you're my dad."

Belteshazzar dropped his stern act, grinning in amusement.

"That would make things a bit weird."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'gross'."

Remy took in the impeccably neat trailer, lit by a plethora of candles, both big and small. Belteshazzar always said he preferred it to electric lights as it reminded him of the 'good ole days'. The trailer was sparsely furnished but what it held was far more elegant than the typical built-ins that everyone else had in theirs. The bed at the very end of the trailer was a monster of elaborately carved mahogany draped in velvets and silks, with a steamer trunk at its foot. A matching pair of upholstered wingback armchairs occupied the other end of the trailer, sitting in front of a well stocked bar. He had gotten her to magic everything down back when they had first taken the cirque on the road. Remy poured herself a drink and settled into one of the armchairs. Belteshazzar shot her a disapproving look.

"What?" Remy snapped. "I've had a bit of a stressful night, ok? Now why were you looking for me?"

"How stressed can you be?" countered Belteshazzar. "Your workload isn't that heavy and you're in Santa Carla. It's a seaside paradise."

"There's something off about this place," said Remy, downing half her drink.

"Off?" Belteshazzar eyed her carefully from where he was leaning on the high back of the other armchair. "You'll have to be a bit more specific."

"I don't know," said Remy, irritably. "It's just…off. Makes me uncomfortable, like an itch just under my skin that I can't get at. It gives me a headache."

Belteshazzar smirked.

"You feel it too."

Remy narrowed her eyes at him over the rim of her glass.

"You've said that before. But you'll have to explain to me what exactly I'm supposed to be feeling here. Right now that's just frustration."

He laughed.

"What you're feeling is the presence of other vampires."

Remy levelled a flat, unreadable look at the man.

"Please tell me you're joking."

Belteshazzar crossed over to her, plucking the glass out of her hand before perching on the arm of her chair.

"I'm dead serious, my dear."

Remy buried her face in her hands and groaned.

"Bad enough that you're telling me you're not the only blood sucker in this town. Do you really have to be all punny about it too?"

Belteshazzar burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself."

Remy snatched her drink back, downed it all in one gulp, and got up to make herself another. But Belteshazzar intercepted her.

"Uh uh uh! You know alcohol taints the taste of blood."

She glared daggers at the back of his head. The two of them had an…interesting relationship. They'd first met during the 1870s, during the height of the Lapland Gold Rush. The prospect of gold combined with the harsh famine that had struck the country just a few years before drew people of all sorts to the Ivalo River where the gold had been discovered, and upon whose shores Remy had lived with her grandparents.

To simplify a story that even Remy didn't know all the details of, one day her grandfather was throwing a prospector off their land, angrily refusing to sell it to him, the next she was waking up covered in blood with Belteshazzar looming over her and the news that her childhood home had been razed to the ground. There were still things that didn't make sense about that night, like the fact that regular humans could overpower both her grandparents, who were magic wielders themselves. But no matter how hard she tried; Remy could not remember what had happened.

She knew she owed Belteshazzar her life. While all the injuries she had sustained that night had more or less healed by the time she regained consciousness, enough of the scars were still in the process of fading for her to come to the conclusion that someone had tried to kill her by setting her on fire. She'd been scared and confused and angry, and he had been the one to help talk her down. He'd explained how he had found her, floating down the Ivalo, pretty much burnt to a crisp. And then he explained how he saved her.

It was the first time Remy had ever come across anyone else, aside from her family, who was not completely human. The idea that he had fed her his blood was revolting at first, and only made worse when he revealed that it was going to spark changes in her body that would need to be supplemented by consuming human blood for the rest of her life. She had said no thank you, he had called her an idiot, and the two of them struck a mutually beneficial deal – they would travel together, Remy watching over him during the day and Belteshazzar supplying her with his blood to stave off the hunger for as long as her body could withstand the toils of being a half-vampire. Over time, the deal evolved to include an exchanging of blood, and they had been feeding off each other ever since.

She never did fully turn; a decision that both impressed and frustrated him. His theory was that it was her magic that kept the blood lust from driving her completely crazy. Certainly, her blood seemed to sate his hunger for longer than when he fed off regular humans. But it didn't stop him from pestering her about fully changing every now and then.

"Just be honest with me," said Remy. "Why are we here?"

Belteshazzar smiled sadly.

"What's with that look, Remy? It's like you don't trust me."

"No, I know you. That's the problem. You don't usually do things like moving the cirque halfway across the country unless you have a very good, _specific_ reason."

That was the thing about living with someone for over a hundred years – you got to know that person really well, even if you didn't completely understand them. She knew that he kept secrets. After all these years she still wasn't privy to all of them. Remy eyed him warily as his smile turned into a predatory grin.

"I hear a rumour that you've been spending some time with several local boys."

"There seems to be a lot of rumours floating around lately," she grumbled. Belteshazzar shot her a quizzical look but she shook her head. "What about them?"

"I want you to spend more time with them."

"Why?" Remy couldn't quite keep the displeasure out of her voice or off her face. This only seemed to fuel Belteshazzar's amusement.

"Because they're some of the vampires you've been sensing."

Remy ran a tired hand over her face, annoyed at Belteshazzar's non-answers but deciding to humour him.

"Ok, _why_ do you want me to spend more time with other vampires? Usually you're warning me to stay away from packs who don't share our blood."

"Yes, but this is different," Belteshazzar insisted. At her disbelieving look, he persisted. "If I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I'm right, they're not that far separated by blood anyway."

"What does that even mean?" exclaimed Remy, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Level with me here. What's really going on? You're asking me to subject myself to more physical discomfort for no good reason as far as I can see. Why do these particular vampires matter so much to you?"

The smile that had been lingering on his lips slid off his face and his eyes hardened. Remy refused to be cowed, stubbornly maintaining eye contact as Belteshazzar grabbed her by the shoulders and brought his face uncomfortably close to hers.

"I don't care about those boys." His voice was dangerously smooth, like a razor's edge dancing across her skin, both alluring and fear-inducing. "I want their leader, the vampire they answer to." A strange gleam entered his eyes. "And so should you."

Remy frowned.

"Why?"

"He was there that night," he said, releasing her and putting some distance between them. "The night you should've died."

Remy stilled. It felt like someone had just punched her in the chest and hit her over the head at the same time. Her headache was back and there was a growing ringing in her ears.

"Breathe." Belteshazzar's voice was soft and soothing. She realised that he was cradling her face in his hands though she could not recall when that happened. Her skin felt like it was burning up; his grip on her tightened. "Breathe, Remy."

She squeezed her eyes shut. There were too many emotions, too many sensations fighting for control. Anger replaced shock, only to be followed by grief, then confusion, and then sadness, before the entire cycle repeated itself again. Chills raked her body and yet she wanted to rip her skin off. There was too much, too much going on at once.

She took a deep, desperate, gasping breath.

And all the rage fuelled power that had been building up inside her burst forth in that single action, shattering every bottle, decanter and glass on Belteshazzar's bar. He didn't even blink, keeping his eyes on her and stroking her hair.

"Are you all right?"

No. She wasn't all right. But she was going to pull herself together. And then she was going to do exactly what he had asked of her. And when they found this head vampire that Belteshazzar was looking for, she was going to demand that he tell her why he had killed her grandparents. And once she got her answers, she was going to kill him.

Belteshazzar must have read her intentions for he released her and smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"No time like the present," he said.

Remy stumbled out of his trailer. Each step felt like she was wading through quicksand. But the more distance she put between herself and Belteshazzar's trailer, the quieter the roaring in her head became. She just kept walking, one foot in front of the other, down the main drag, past the tents, booths and stages. By the time she reached the big top, the ringing in her ears had been replaced with absolutely silence. The deadly calm allowed her to put her thoughts into some semblance of an order. She still had questions. There were things that didn't make sense.

Leander and the boys were seated in the first row, cheering and screaming along with the crowd as the daredevils performed death-defying acts in the ring. Paul was the first to spot her, waving like a madman with an excited grin to match, the carton of popcorn he held in his hand showering everyone around him with the salty treats. This caused a light-hearted shoving match between him and Marko, who had ended up with more than a few kernels in his hair. David actually looked genuinely relaxed for once and even Dwayne was laughing at their antics. Leander fought his way through the crowd to reach her side.

"Remy! You're here! Come on! You took forever!" He grabbed her hand and began pulling her back towards where he had left the boys.

 _Vampires_ , Remy reminded herself. She had left him alone with a pack of vampires.

"Can you make the Globe fly now?" he asked in a voice that was just barely a whisper. "It's always so much better when the Globe's flying."

Remy looked down at his grinning face, the riot of blonde curls on his head more of a mess than they usually were. She tugged gently on a lock hanging down in between his eyes and forced a smile onto her face.

"That's probably not a good idea right now, Lee. We didn't talk about it before the show and it'll be incredibly dangerous if I just levitate the cage now without letting them know what I'm about to do."

Leander pouted petulantly. But a sudden thought seemed to cheer him up.

"Oh! Marko invited us to go see where they live." He had dragged her all the way to the boys now. David smiled indulgently at Leander's enthusiasm. "Paul says they live right by the ocean. Can we go? Can we?"

"Yeah, Remy," said Marko, wrapping his arms around Leander and resting his chin on the boy's head. "Can he?"

Remy dug her nails into the palms of her hands to keep from pushing the blonde off of Leander. She needed to play nice. For now.

"Sure," she said, as brightly as she could. David arched a curious brow. Remy made a mental note to more careful around him. He seemed annoyingly observant.

Half an hour later found her leaving the cirque with the boys for the second night in a row. Kakra and Zesiro spotted them as they walked by their tent. Kakra grinned conspiratorially. Zesiro waved shyly. Paul gaped at the twins. Jasna shot her a questioning look when they passed her. Generys emerged from her tent just in time to call out to Remy, but the girl simply returned a half-hearted greeting to the redhead and kept walking. She caught sight of Belteshazzar watching them from behind the ticketing booths just as they were about to exit the cirque grounds. He nodded in approval.

Seeing the man who had saved her; whom she had spent the last hundred years of her life with; whom she considered the closest thing to actual family she had left; reminded Remy of a thought that had popped into her mind as she had walked away from his trailer. He had skilfully evaded a lot of her questions that night, revealing just enough to distract her and push her in the direction he wanted. But why?

Just what had Belteshazzar been doing near her home the night her grandparents died?

* * *

 **A/N:** **I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was nice and relaxing. Mostly because I was sick, so I stayed home. I'm all better now though, so my New Year's will probably be…nice and quiet because I plan to stay home anyways. I hate crowds. But I hope everyone has an amazing New Year's, however you guys are celebrating it!**

 **This is just a minor formatting thing but I'm probably going to just do one author's note at the bottom of the chapter from now on so you guys can just jump straight into the story.**

 **So let me know what you guys think! I know it's more Remy backstory than interaction with the boys but it kind of sets up things for the rest of the story. Did you like it? Did you hate it? I'm kind of figuring things out as I go along, so any feedback is always appreciated!**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens**

Leander had run ahead with Marko the minute they hit the boardwalk. The bright lights and tinkling ride music that had seemed cheerful and whimsical the night before, now seemed garish and far too loud. Her head hurt. But now that she knew the reason for her headache, Remy focused on building up her mental walls instead and compartmentalising whatever instinctual fears her mind was generating to warn her away from the boys. She could freak out later. Right now she had a head vampire to track down and a werecat to look after.

Maybe it was because she was hyperaware of the boys now, but Remy found herself noticing little tell-tale signs about them that screamed 'Dangerous Blood Sucker' that she hadn't detected the night before. Remy may not have had all the enhanced senses of a full vampire, but her nose was sharp enough to notice that none of them smelt. Not in the rotting, dead corpse sense but in the way of natural human odour. Under the mask of deodorant, perfume and cologne, everyone had a scent that was uniquely their own. The boys smelt of old smoke, cheap liquor, engine oil and, underneath it all and barely discernable, just the faintest metallic tang of iron. But that was it. No sweat. No body odour.

There were other little signs, things she would've missed if she hadn't been intentionally looking out for them. People around them eyed them with open wariness and mistrust, yet there were also hints of curiosity and attraction behind their stares. It was the same look she caught on people's faces whenever they looked at Belteshazzar. The younger humans, both female and male, would sometimes find themselves trailing after them before coming to their senses, shaking their heads in confusion. Remy recognised it as the effects of a vampire glamour but was surprised that the boys would be using it so recklessly. She had only ever seen Belteshazzar put on a glamour when he was trying to manipulate someone, or when he was hunting. It wasn't until both Paul and Marko slung their arms over her shoulders, grinning at her and attempting to get her to talk to them that she realised that the glamour was for her benefit. They were trying their best to get her to like them. Too bad she could see right through their little tricks.

Remy tried not to cringe at the feel of their arms on her bare skin. Before exiting the big top, she had stopped backstage long enough to change out of her sequined leotard and towering high heels. The sweater she'd thrown on, while comfy, was three sizes too big and kept threatening to fall off her shoulders. The denim shorts she wore had at one time been her favourite pair of jeans but an accident while helping Ignatius practice one of his fire acts had required her to take a pair of scissors to them. Remy stiffened as Paul rubbed her back and laughed.

"You really need to loosen up! Why are you so tense?"

Leander threw a curious look over his shoulder at Paul's question. Seeing the barely concealed annoyance on Remy's face had him laughing too as he turned to face them so that he was walking backwards.

"Remy really doesn't like it when people she doesn't know touches her," the boy explained.

"The only reason she doesn't know us is because she's not giving us a chance," Marko protested. "I swear you'll like us once you get to know us."

Remy was ready with a snide reply but before she could even open her mouth, Leander made the unfortunate mistake of walking into a Surf Nazi. The man whipped around with a threatening growl and would have grabbed Leander if the boy hadn't danced out of his reach and ran back to Remy.

"Sorry!" Leander squeaked, but the Surf Nazi was no longer looking at him, his attention, and that of his friends, now fully focused on David and the others.

The tension in the air was palpable. Remy curiously noted how Paul and Marko's arms immediately slipped off her shoulders and how the boys all took a threatening step forward, not only presenting a united front but imperceptibly shielding Leander and herself from the Surf Nazis. She wondered if it was a conscious action on their part or if they were merely eager to get into a tussle with the other group. She had a feeling it was the later. Leander had instinctively grabbed onto her arm when he ran to her, but now that he was no longer the subject of the burly man's anger, he stared at the scene unfolding before them with barely concealed delight. Remy could practically feel the excitement rolling off of him, as if the boy were eager for a fight to break out. And with how both groups were eyeing each other up, Remy was afraid that he might just get his wish.

The gang of Surf Nazis was the same one that Angus had to forcibly remove from Generys' tent last night. Though this time they had a few females with them who were not ignoring Remy and Leander like their male counterparts. They too seemed to be itching for a fight, one particularly vicious looking blonde eyeing Remy in a way that made her want to punch the other female right in the nose. But she knew she couldn't encourage this. Leander still did not have the best control over his change and she knew getting into a fight might provoke him to shift into his werecat form. They were in too public a space for her to allow that to happen.

Before Remy could do so much as take a step backwards however, a chill crept up her spine. Her head snapped around, taking in her surroundings. They had stopped right in front of a comic book store, probably the same one Generys had told her about. Someone was watching them. And it wasn't just the small crowd that had gathered around them, buzzing with curiosity and barely tempered excitement. This particular gaze felt ancient – predatory – and strangely familiar. It made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. And she knew she wasn't the only one who felt it. Beside her, Leander suddenly shivered and leaned closer against her. There was even a subtle straightening of the spines of the boys in front of her. She felt Leander slip his hand into hers.

"Remy?" he whispered.

"I know, Lee. We should get out of here."

Tightening her grip on Leander's hand, Remy started to turn them around when an obnoxiously loud voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Just where do you think you're going, bitch?"

It was the blonde Surf Nazi – Surf Nazi-ette? She and another woman had broken ranks from the other females, taking a few challenging steps forward, though Remy noted with slight amusement how they kept well out of reach of any of the boys. Leander was tugging on her arm now, eager to get out of there. And she didn't blame him. They were still being watched.

"Didn't realise I needed your permission to go anywhere," drawled Remy, deliberately keeping her expression bored and unimpressed. She tightened her hold on Leander's hand as the intensity of the mysterious predatory gaze seemed to increase, like a laser boring a hole into the back of her head. Behind them, she could hear the crowd shuffling closer, growing a little bit larger. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that it was unlikely they'd be able to make their escape that way. The faces that looked back at her were young and eager; they weren't going to make way for Leander and herself to get away from the potential fight.

"So you're just going to leave your boys here to fend for themselves?" taunted the blonde.

"You should teach your slut to respect you more," snorted the Surf Nazi that Leander had initially bumped into, leaning over David in what he assumed was an intimidating manner. He was a few inches taller than the light haired vampire and, even without seeing his face; Remy knew that David was smirking up at him.

"Okay, let's get a few things straight," said Remy, walking towards them, her voice even and bored. She squeezed Leander's hand reassuringly when she heard him whimper beside her, agitated by the tension radiating off of everyone else. She made sure to keep an eye on him, as long as he wasn't sprouting fur yet, they'd be fine. "Firstly, they're not _my_ boys. I just met them last night. And even if I'd known them for longer, it's not like they're my property. I don't own them. Likewise, I'm not _theirs_ either. I don't belong to them, or anyone else for that matter. Secondly, I don't owe any of you my respect. You want it; you earn it."

All eyes were on her now. She could just make out Paul grinning at her out of the corner of her eye. Marko was bouncing on his heels, eyes bright and darting from her to the Surf Nazis and back again. Dwayne had his arms crossed over his broad chest, cutting a daunting figure, but there was a lightness around his mouth that hinted at the possibility that he might just be amused at her antics. David had turned slightly to watch her approach, doing a convincing job of looking completely at ease and oozing a self-assured cockiness that made Remy want to punch him instead.

"And last but certainly not least, I really don't give a shit about whatever turf war you guys have going on here but I would rather not be caught in the middle of this dick measuring contest. It's a waste of my time and I've got better things to do. So kindly move out of our way."

By this time, she had made her way across the relatively short distance and was standing in front of the overly muscled Surf Nazi. The blonde and her friend moved to flank the man, perhaps intending to frighten her. She bared her teeth, lips pulled back in a snarl.

"And what if we don't want to move?" snapped the woman. "You guys don't own the boardwalk, despite what your _boys_ think. We have every right to be here." She was warming up now, stepping forward so that she was practically leaning into Remy's personal space, hissing in her face. "You come around here, acting like you're fucking Santa Carla royalty, like everyone should worship the ground you walk on. Well we're sick and tired of that. You want us to move? You're going to have to make us."

Remy arched a brow, deliberately letting her lips quirk up in amusement, noting how it made the blonde's eyes flash in anger.

"Are you done?" she asked calmly.

Remy watched as the woman's face starting turning an alarming shade of red, idly wondering if it was possible for someone's head to explode from frustration. And then the blonde's eyes flickered down to Leander, a malicious spark warning Remy what she was planning to do. As the woman reached out for Leander, Remy's hand snapped out. In a move almost too fast for anyone to follow, Remy had grabbed the blonde's hand, twisting her arm behind her back in an unnatural angle that forced the taller woman onto her knees.

The reaction to this was explosive and immediate. The burly Surf Nazi attempted to launch himself at Remy but was intercepted by David. He ducked a blow aimed at his head and a well-placed shoulder to the larger man's solar plexus had him breathlessly staggering backwards. The rest of his gang surged forwards but the boys were quicker. For once Dwayne actually looked excited, as he floored a Surf Nazi with a punch to the jaw. It hadn't looked like he held back either. Marko dodged around his prey – and it certainly seemed like he was toying with prey more than it being an even fight – laughing as the other male swore at him every time he danced out of reach. And then he finally seemed to grow bored, ducking under the Surf Nazi's arm to kick his knees out from under him. Paul was surprisingly vicious. When he was done, his opponent had a broken nose, was clutching his side as if he had a few fractured ribs, and was spitting out blood and at least one tooth. The crowd around them gasped and cheered.

Throughout all this, Remy held the blonde's arm behind her, her expression cold. She didn't even look up at the commotion around her. The woman was breathing heavily in surprise and pain. Shock seemed to be keeping her from reacting immediately.

"Don't move," warned Remy. "If you do, you _will_ dislocate your shoulder."

Of course she didn't listen. As the blonde pulled at her arm, trying to get out from Remy's grasp, she felt her shoulder come apart with a sickening pop. She screamed. The sound cut through the night and silenced the cheering crowd. Remy let go of her arm, looking down at the other female disdainfully.

"If you ever try to touch him again," said Remy, her voice dangerously even, "this will feel like nothing compared to what I'll do to you."

"Remy."

Leander's quiet voice snapped her out of her rage. He was shaking. His eyes were wide and slightly panicked. But his reaction was not due to fear. Remy reached for his hand and briskly marched them away from the scene of the fight. This time the crowd hurriedly parted for them.

They made it about ten feet, stumbling the entire way, before Remy scooped Leander up in her arms. It was easier this way since his shaking had gotten worse. She weaved her way through the people on the boardwalk, not quite running but not exactly walking either.

"Can you feel it?" Leander whispered in her ear, his face buried in her hair. "It's still there."

"I know, Lee," Remy murmured. They were still being watched. And Remy suspected she knew who was watching them.

"It's hunting us," Leander breathed. Remy could feel fur beginning to sprout along his neck. A sudden spasm told her that his bones were starting to shift as well.

"It's going to be okay, Lee," Remy reassured him. "You know I'd never let anything hurt you, right?"

Ducking into a darkened alley behind a video store, Remy tightened her hold on Leander as she teleported them away from the boardwalk. She didn't really think about their destination and had ended up bringing them back to her trailer. She sat Leander on her bed, kneeled in front of him and cupped his face in her hands.

"Look at me, Lee."

The eyes that stared back at her were a feline yellow and filled with pain. This was an uncontrolled change, brought on by the heavily charged atmosphere of the fight. Remy watched helplessly as Leander's back arched as his spine rearranged itself. The bones in his arms and legs cracked and shifted to form digitigrade limbs. She let go of him as the boy reared back, narrowly avoiding being torn to shreds by his newly formed claws. The entire process took two long, agonising minutes and when it was done, there was what looked to be a clouded leopard panting on her bed.

"Oh Lee," Remy sighed, worriedly.

The wild cat whimpered and laid itself down on her bed, looking utterly miserable. Remy ran a hand through her hair. Belteshazzar was going to be so pissed. It had been almost a year since Leander had undergone a complete change that was so out of control. If he found out about this, it was entirely possible that he'd pull the boy from tomorrow night's show. Not only that, but this had forced her to abandon the boys, which probably wouldn't exactly ingratiate her to them. Leander was making little mewling sounds that tore at her heart.

Pushing herself up off the floor, Remy walked the short distance to her kitchen and pulled down one of the bottles from her wine rack. Foregoing a glass, she popped the cork and brought the bottle to her lips, shuddering as the familiar iron taste of blood slid over her tongue and down her throat. She hadn't even realised how tense she was until that first sip. Tipping the bottle back, she chugged down almost a third of its contents before coming back up for air. She slammed the bottle down on the counter with a gasp and more force that she meant to, swearing as the glass shattered in her hand and cut her palm open. Blood, both hers and Belteshazzar's, spilt over the cheap laminate.

Back in the bedroom, Leander's head perked up, nose sniffing the air. His lips curled over his sharpened teeth, as his whimpers morphed into a hungry growl. Remy whipped around at the sudden noise, eyeing the werecat warily.

"Lee?" she ventured carefully. "You okay?"

The large cat turned around on her bed, eyes locked onto her bloody hand. Leander crouched back on his hind legs, tail twitching from side to side, as he prepared to pounce. Remy cradled her injured hand to her chest, using her good hand to point a disapproving finger at the werecat. She frowned sternly.

"No. Lee, down."

But he was obviously not listening. Remy threw up a shield as Leander launched himself off the bed. He crashed head first into the invisible wall, crumbling into a disorientated heap barely an arm's length away from her feet. He shook his head agitatedly as he pushed himself back onto his feet. Snarling at Remy, Leander prepared to attack again. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't make me do this."

She might as well have been speaking to a wall. He lashed out with his claws, growing more frustrated at not being able to get closer to her. Remy absently wondered when was the last time Leander had properly been fed. It was technically Fillin's responsibility to make sure that he and Leander hunted once a month to sate the animalistic blood lust that was inherent to their kind. Typical human food only kept the hunger at bay for so long.

When the werecat pounced again, Remy halted him in midair. Leander hissed as he twisted in the air, trying to struggle against her magic. Enough was enough.

"Sleep," she commanded, her voice filled with unnatural power.

Leander immediately fell limp and his eyes dropped closed. Sighing tiredly, Remy carefully transported him to her bed and laid him in it. She knew it'd be a couple of hours before the spell wore off and probably several more before he woke up, by which time he would hopefully be in a better frame of mind.

With Leander tucked into bed, Remy tended to her bloody hand. The cut wasn't that deep. But it was certainly going to make climbing her silks or performing on her lyra annoyingly painful tomorrow night. Her hand cleaned and bandaged, Remy set about clearing up the mess she'd made. When she was done, she pulled out a spare blanket from her tiny closet and curled up on her beat up, but comfortable, couch.

As she drifted off to sleep, the thought occurred to her that Belteshazzar was most likely going to ask her how tonight went and he was not going to be happy that things had very nearly gone to hell in a hand basket. She was almost certain that the predatory gaze both she and Leander had felt belonged to the same vampire he was looking for. Did that mean he knew that Belteshazzar was in town? Did he know they were looking for him? If he was the boys' leader, did that mean they knew why she'd agreed to hang out with them? Was she going to need to watch her back now? There were so many unanswered questions and it was very likely that Belteshazzar would throw a fit too, maybe even try to punish Leander and herself. They were in so much trouble. But at the moment she was far too tired to care.

* * *

The sun was painfully bright, even behind a pair of sunglasses. Remy squinted against the light as she strolled along the boardwalk, popping in and out of various stores every now and then. She had even rode the carousel and Giant Dipper – three times. Essentially, she had spent the entire day avoiding Belteshazzar.

Leander had still been asleep when she teleported out of her trailer. She hadn't wanted to take any chances that she might run into their ringmaster. Actually, she hadn't really wanted to run into anyone that day. She just didn't have the energy to deal with people and conversations. She had lay on the beach, nursing one of her bottles of blood infused wine, until the glare of the sun threatened to turn her into a cooked lobster. Only then had she taken to the boardwalk, wandering aimlessly and trying to kill time until the sun set and she had to return to the cirque to get ready for that evening's show. Now, as she started to slowly make her way back, the comic book store from last night caught her eye. There was still a patch of dried blood where Paul had beaten up that Surf Nazi. Obviously no one had bothered to clean up after them.

Remy loved comic books. Adelphos, a young Greek boy who had been the cirque's first contortionist, had introduced her to them almost fifty years ago. Like Leander, he had been like a little brother to her, following her around and sticking to her like glue. Her magic had fascinated him and his ability to bend his body in various shapes, as if he had no bones, astounded her. His untimely death at the age of fifteen was something she still blamed herself for. It had devastated her and was one of the reasons why she was so protective of Leander.

One of the first things she noticed upon walking into the store was the sleeping hippie couple behind the counter. A TV was blaring beside them yet they remained sound asleep. There were shelves upon shelves of comics, some of them even hanging over the central displays. It looked like they were in the middle of a stock intake. There were open boxes everywhere. Then she spotted the teenage boys. They had just walked out of a back room and were frowning at her. Remy returned their frown, propping her sunglasses on top of her head. Their eyes followed her as she made her way around the store. And then they actually started following her, as if daring her to shoplift a comic while they were watching.

"Is there a problem here?" Remy finally snapped. "I really don't appreciate being followed around as if I'm some sort of criminal. Is this how you treat all your customers?"

The one dressed like a Rambo wannabe crossed his arms and frowned harder. It almost made Remy smile. He was more amusing than anything else.

"You were with the Lost Boys last night," he said.

"Who?"

"The Lost Boys," said the other teen. "That's what people around here call them."

Remy leaned back against the display shelves and mirrored their crossed arms. She wondered if they were related. They didn't look that much alike, but their mannerisms were far too similar.

"And what if I was?" she asked. "Is that a problem?"

"Depends," said Rambo. "Did you drink anything they gave you?"

"No," Remy answered truthfully.

"Did you make out with any of them?" asked his brother – cousin? – weirdly close best friend? "Exchange bodily fluids? Accidentally bite each other maybe?"

"Not that it's any of your business if I did, but no."

The teens shared a look, silently communicating with each other.

"You're pretty strong, huh?" asked the darker haired boy, as the other teen crossed over to the counter behind which the hippies were sleeping. "The way you broke that woman's arm last night."

"I didn't break her arm," Remy corrected, as she watched Rambo pour out a glass of water from a canteen. "She dislocated it. I warned her what would happen if she tried to move."

Rambo brought back the glass of water and offered it to her.

"Here. It's pretty hot out there."

Remy arched a mocking brow.

"If I didn't accept a drink from the 'Lost Boys', not that they offered me anything, I'm certainly not going to accept one from you two. Haven't you heard of stranger danger?"

The teens shared another look. Rambo shrugged.

"Was just trying to be nice."

"Nice would be not interrogating me," Remy retorted. She noticed how Rambo looked at a loss as to what to do with the glass of water now that she'd refused it. This time she allowed herself a small smile. "I'm almost tempted to just leave and not get anything."

"You read comics?" he asked doubtfully.

Remy rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the display shelf, walking past them to the shelves near the counter. The teens followed her, Rambo quickly putting the glass down on the counter top.

"No. I just wandered in here by accident," she replied, voice dripping in sarcasm as she started browsing through the comics. She could practically feel their eyes on her back.

"So what kind of comics do you like?"

Remy shrugged.

"Don't really have a favourite. But anything with blood and gore in it is always fun."

The smile she threw over her shoulder at them was playful and slightly disturbing. They unconsciously took a step back and silently looked at each other again. The dark haired teen picked out a comic from one of the shelves and tapped her on the shoulder with it, holding it out for her to take.

"Try this one then."

Remy noted the title with a slight quirk of her lips – _Vampires Everywhere!_ The cover art was cheesy but not completely awful. She accepted the comic and idly flipped through it.

"Looks interesting," she said.

They had to know. Not about her or Belteshazzar, but about the Lost Boys. It would explain the questions; their attempt to have her drink what she was certain was holy water; and giving her this particular comic. _The Lost Boys_ – it was a fitting name for David and his friends.

"If you like that, you might like this one too," said Rambo, handing her a comic entitled _Destroy All Vampires_.

Remy laughed.

"I'll take both."

Five minutes later, Remy walked out of the store with both comics, a phone number scrawled on the back of one of them, and two names: Edgar and Alan Frog. She toyed with the idea of informing Belteshazzar about the brothers. They seemed like a couple of would-be vampire hunters and it would only be in their best interests to keep an eye on them. Even amateur vampire hunters could end up being dangerous.

She found a deserted alleyway from which to teleport back to the cirque. Her trailer was empty and there was an unwashed bowl in her sink when she got back, so she knew Leander had helped himself to some of her cereal when he'd woken up. Trading her sundress for her white satin shift and a pair of safety shorts, she unwrapped her bandaged hand to check how her cut was healing. The amount of blood she'd consumed throughout the day had helped with speeding up the healing process. All that remained of her wound was a pale, reddish scar, though the surrounding flesh still felt tender when she poked at it. Dressed in her costume, Remy snatched up a clean pair of shorts and a flannel shirt to change into after the show and teleported directly backstage.

"So how did last night go?"

Remy whipped around, dread settling like a heavy weight in her belly. Belteshazzar was leaning against her dressing table, the very picture of casual elegance. He had yet to change into his costume and his carelessly wind swept salt and pepper hair just added to his allure. Remy glared at him.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You've been avoiding me," he said, ignoring her accusation for one of his own.

"No, I haven't," she lied.

He waved away her protest.

"Don't bother. Leander told me all about what happened last night."

Her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Did you make him?"

Belteshazzar huffed, clearly offended.

"Really? What do you take me for?"

"A manipulative bastard," Remy replied without hesitation.

Belteshazzar pushed himself off her dressing table, slinking towards her. Instead of reaching out to touch her like Remy had assumed he would, he gently removed her spare clothes from her arms and proceeded to hang them up for her.

"Well this bastard doesn't hurt defenceless little children, my dear." He shook out her flannel shirt, frowning at the creases in the material. "Were you afraid I'd be mad at you?"

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Of course not," said Belteshazzar, smiling indulgently. "So our quarry has noticed your presence. It doesn't mean we've lost the upper hand. Did he see you teleport Leander away from the boardwalk?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Belteshazzar gave the collar of her shirt a final tug, attempting to straighten it out, and hung it onto the clothes rack. He turned to look at her, his gaze appraising. Remy wrapped her arms around herself.

"When you see his boys tonight, try to find out."

But Remy did not see them that night. Nor did she see them the night after. In fact, it would be several nights before Remy saw the Lost Boys again.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Started a new job and got sick again, except this time it was this long lingering thing that still hasn't quite gone away and came with a couple of scares. And being sick came with writer's block and barely enough energy to do anything. Hopefully this longer chapter makes up for it.**

 **Remy and Leander were initially going to follow our boys back to the Lost Cave. But the darn Surf Nazis wouldn't back down, so there was a change of plans. It probably would've been too soon for that to happen anyways, especially with what I was thinking of doing once they got to the cave.**

 **The following explanation about the aerial hoop or lyra is taken from Vertical Wise:**

When exactly Aerial Hoop as a means of circus performances first made their appearance is rather vague. It is known, however, that since **the late 1700s, metal hoops were used in house yards** as a way of recreation for children.

 **Reports on Aerial Hoop have been made in the middle of the '00s** when they were used in the Varekai performance of Cirque du Soleil.

 **The first use of the hoop ever recorded** **is in an 1893 advertisement** in New York Clipper where a performer called "Caedo" used this equipment. It was probably one of the first hoops made according to Edward Van Wyck's statement in one of his letters in 1903.

 **I was also re-reading the script for the movie and I noticed that no one ever directly calls the boys 'the Lost Boys'. But I'm going to assume that people do when they're gossiping about them. Because you know people are going to gossip about our boys.**

 **Also, for all of you wonderful, lovely people who enjoy reading The Lost Boys fanfics (of course you do, otherwise you wouldn't be here), please do go and check out** Lyanna L **'s "** _If I Had A Heart_ **" and leave her a review. It's a brilliant David/OC centric story and I'm hoping if more of us pester, I mean, write in to her, she might update quicker. Yup, totally have an ulterior motive here. That's how desperate I am for another chapter from her. (I'm also beyond desperate for updates on a Tom Riddle/OC story, a Daryl Nixon/OC story, and a couple of Bucky Barnes/OC stories. If you guys want to check them out, and also pester their authors with reviews, let me know and I'll tell you what those stories are)**

 **As usual, I love hearing back from you guys. Let me know what you might like to see more of, less of, what needs improvement, etc. I'll also try to be better about replying to everyone because I realised I've been totally slack with that the last two chapters. Again, sorry.**

 **As always,**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens**

Three days. It had been three days since Remy last saw the Lost Boys. Not that she was intentionally keeping track or anything, but it was hard not to notice when Belteshazzar was consistently asking for updates on them. She had finally snapped at him last night.

Part of the reason why she was so on edge was because, despite not seeing the boys since that disaster of a night, she could still feel that she was being watched. Every night, without fail, she'd sense eyes on her the minute the sun went down. It made her extra cautious about everything. She avoided talking to people unless it was absolutely necessary and hadn't used her magic at all outside of the evening's big top act. The only places she felt safe were in her trailer and in the backstage area of the big top, places that were not open to the public. This only strengthened her belief that the stare she could feel was vampiric in nature. And she couldn't shake the feeling that this was all very familiar. She was certain that she had experienced this before, being under constant observation – studied. But she couldn't remember exactly when it was she had felt it.

In the hundred or so years since Belteshazzar had saved her life, Remy had only met a handful of other bloodsuckers. Two had been strays, accidentally turned and left to fend for themselves. The others had been part of a pack in Paris that Belteshazzar had reluctantly introduced her to only because their leader had threatened to have them both killed if he'd refused. But Remy was almost sure that none of those previous encounters felt anything like this, like perpetually being under a microscope. Each of these meetings had ended up with the both of them having to fight for their lives and taught Remy that vampires were horrendously territorial bastards that couldn't be trusted. Heck, she wasn't even sure she trusted Belteshazzar half the time and, if it weren't for their blood bond, she certainly wouldn't turn her back on him.

Theirs was a strange and twisted sort of relationship. Saviour, dependent, part-time lovers when the bloodlust had them in its grip; they were the closest thing to family the other had. They would, and had, killed for each other. Yet there were times when Remy was certain she hated him. And his pestering wasn't exactly endearing him to her at the moment.

But Belteshazzar was making himself scarce tonight. In fact, he had taken pains not to be seen in public with her outside of their big top act. He was being watched too, he'd explained, and hadn't wanted their stalker to associate them to each other any more than was necessary. Remy suspected it was actually because he personally knew the head vampire of Santa Carla and, for whatever reason, didn't want to see him face to face yet. It would explain why he'd changed his bit in the act so he wouldn't have to remove his top hat, letting it cast shadows across his face. She had asked him about it, but he'd hedged all her questions.

Tonight was not a show night. The daredevils and the Globe of Death had the big top and Remy was on her little section of the main drag, entertaining customers with her lyra act. The cirque was particularly busy, the tinny fairground music that drifted out from hidden speakers weaving their own brand of magic into luring people towards the sideshow tents and stages. A sizeable crowd had gathered around her stage, oohing and aahing as she hung from her aerial hoop – spinning; twisting; balancing on her back; pulling her leg over her head. She was hanging upside down in the splits, her lyra in a dizzying spin, when she caught sight of a familiar shock of blonde hair. Slipping into a neck hang, she pulled her legs back into a backbend before transitioning to hang by her elbows, twisting her legs together to increase her spin. She hung there until the momentum of her hoop started to slow down, at which point she gently dismounted. Her routine finished to thunderous applause and she smiled as she took a small bow. As the crowd started to disperse, she made her way off the stage and towards the Lost Boy, stopping now and then for fans who wanted to take a picture with her. He grinned cheekily at her, thumbs tucked into his belt loops.

"That was pretty cool," said Marko.

Remy was still high on the euphoria that always came with performing and found it surprisingly easy to return his smile. She didn't even mind that much when she caught his eyes trailing down her leotard and over her legs, especially since it seemed more like an unconscious action on his part rather than a deliberate one.

"Thanks." She looked around but couldn't spot the others. "Alone tonight?"

"For now. The others are just grabbing a bite to eat."

Remy quelled the urge to raise a sarcastic brow at that. As far as she knew, they didn't know that she knew what they were.

"I wanted to come by first to check on Leander. How is the kid? You guys kind of disappeared that night."

Remy tried to keep her smile easy and apologetic.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Lee doesn't do so well around fights."

Marko nodded understandingly.

"You seem to be able to hold your own though. Where did you learn to do that? That thing where you made her dislocate her own shoulder."

Remy laughed.

"I didn't _make_ her do anything. I warned her but she wouldn't listen."

"Has anyone ever?" asked the Lost Boy, genuinely curious.

The smirk she shot him could only be described as impish.

"No," she admitted. "But I tell them exactly what would happen if they don't listen so it's really not my fault."

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that," chuckled Marko. "So is Leander around?"

Remy debated telling Marko where to find him. So far, none of their nightly visitors had connected the half-formed werecat that stalked the stage with their werewolf to the boy that starred in their big top show. But Remy wasn't sure she wanted to risk any of the Lost Boys connecting the dots.

Though the questions that they'd been asking her about the cirque and their acts did make her wonder if they'd ever come across any other supernatural beings aside from their own kind. They wanted to know what the 'trick' was; where were the wires the twins used to lift those elephants over their heads? Did Ignatius use a projector or hidden gas pipes in the floor to make the fire dance? Where were the trapdoors that Belteshazzar used to disappear and reappear? She wondered how they would react to learning that they weren't exactly at the top of the food chain, that there were other creatures out there who were very capable of ripping a vampire limb from limb without even breaking a sweat. She knew it was one of the reasons Belteshazzar had started the cirque; had started collecting oddities of nature and given them a home – he was basically surrounding himself with people who had extraordinary abilities and who felt indebted to him in some way. In short, he had built himself an army that was more or less loyal to him.

And it begged the question – why?

She had so many questions these days and not enough answers. Speaking of which, she needed to give one to Marko who was looking at her expectantly.

"Do you have the time?"

The Lost Boy held out his hands.

"Not really the watch wearing kind of guy. You late for something?"

"No," said Remy as she leaned back against the stage. She proceeded to take her heels off and rub down her calves. "It's just that where Leander is right now would depend on the time."

She wasn't lying either. Like herself, everyone working the main thoroughfare tonight was supposed to do three to four performances. Remy had just finished her last but she also tended to start her act whenever she wanted. Fillin had a fixed schedule for his, which meant that, if it were before ten, he and Leander would still be finishing up their last set.

"Well since neither of us have the time," said Marko, "let's just go look for him."

He trotted off without waiting for Remy's reply, forcing her to follow after him barefooted, her heels carelessly dangling from her fingers. Letting Marko lead the way allowed her to study him. Of all the Lost Boys, he was the one who annoyed her the least – well it was a toss up between him and Dwayne, but it was kind of hard to form an opinion about someone who had yet to talk to her and seemed incapable of demonstrating emotion, whether good or bad. Remy supposed part of the reason she didn't mind Marko so much was because he just seemed so young, so carefree. He reminded her a bit of Leander and Adelphos, kids who needed to be protected. Though Remy knew that the Lost Boy in front of her could fend for himself just fine.

They ran into Paul and Dwayne in front of Jasna's stage. It looked like the sword swallower had just wrapped up her act. She was sitting on the edge of her stage, wiping down her blades and chatting with the other two Lost Boys. To Remy's surprise, Dwayne was actually contributing to the conversation, asking the woman questions about her swords. Paul spotted them first, calling out Remy's name loud enough to cause Jasna to cringe and made several passing people physically jump in surprise.

"Seriously? Is he always like that?" Remy muttered.

"Yup," laughed Marko.

"Hey girl," Jasna greeted, as she put away her last sword. Pulling her natural hair out of the bun she kept it in for shows, it fanned out around her head in an enviable afro as she shot Remy a sly smirk. "Your friends here were just asking about you."

"Were they now?" muttered Remy. "Are they giving you any trouble?"

"Not at all," smiled Jasna. Remy watched in disbelief as the woman reached out and playfully punched Dwayne in the shoulder. The dark haired Lost Boy simply let her. There was even the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Dwayne here just wanted to know if I used actual swords or if it was a trick. So I showed him that it was no trick. I just have great oral skills."

Remy barely held back her snort at that. Paul and Marko didn't even bother hiding their snickers whilst Jasna grinned unapologetically.

"So how'd you prove it wasn't a trick?" asked Marko.

Jasna picked up an apple half that Remy hadn't noticed sitting beside the chest she stored her blades in and tossed it to him. Remy snatched it out of the air just as Marko reached for it. She wasn't sure why she did it, but when Marko shot her an incredulous look, she beamed innocently back at him and took a bite out of it. Paul whistled.

"Those are some pretty fast reflexes," he said.

Remy paused mid-chew, wondering if she'd messed up somehow before giving him a careless shrug.

"I have skills," she boasted.

Paul crossed his arms, brows arched sceptically. But the grin he gave her helped to ease her worries. Him crossing his arms did bring her attention to his chest though and what she saw there surprised her. Hidden under his old school, black morning coat and fishnet singlet Remy could just barely make out the presence of healing scars. In fact, she could see faint scratches down Dwayne's neck as well, partially hidden under his hair. Her eyes flickered towards Marko, but the blonde didn't seem to be hiding any healing wounds. Had they gotten into another fight? It must have been serious for it to leave scars that were still healing. Was that why she hadn't seen them around lately?

"Hello? Earth to Remy?"

Jasna was waving a hand in front of her face. Remy shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and gave the other woman a lopsided smile.

"There you are, space cadet," Jasna teased. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"Uh huh," said the sword swallower, hardly convinced. "So as I was saying, Paul and Dwayne here have kindly invited me to join them for a quiet, or not so quiet, drink on the beach. They said their friend's gone to invite Genny too. Want to come with?"

This time there was no masking her very obvious hesitation or the suspicious frown that creased her brows. Jasna rolled her eyes and sighed as she reached up to rub her frown away.

"Really now, girl. I know you don't like hanging out with strangers, but Genny and I will be there. And it's not like you don't know these boys. Didn't you hang out with them like two different times several nights ago?"

"Well last time didn't quite work out," Paul admitted. "But yeah, come with us, Remy. I promise we won't bite."

 _Yeah right._

"Come on, Remy," begged Jasna. "We haven't hung out in ages. Please?"

Remy took another bite out of her apple half as she considered her options. She could let Jasna and Generys drink with the Lost Boys on their own and risk having them become the boys' next meal, though she was fairly certain both women would put up one hell of a fight. She would then have to face the wrath of Belteshazzar who would not only be mad at losing two of his acts but also at the fact that she didn't jump at this golden opportunity to weasel her way closer to the boys and their mysterious leader. Plus Leander would be upset since he considered everyone in the cirque family. Well, apparently she had no options.

"Fine," she replied with a long-suffering sigh.

Jasna squealed in happiness and started to drag her away.

"See you boys out front in ten minutes!" she called over her shoulder.

"Woah, wait! Where are we going?" asked Remy around her half-chewed apple.

"To get changed. Do you really want to get sand in your leotard?"

"I don't want to get sand anywhere," Remy grumbled.

"Cheer up, sad cat," Jasna laughed.

Ten minutes later found Remy in a flowing turquoise dress that Jasna had forced her into. The woman had a penchant for jewel-toned clothing as it complimented her darker skin very well, as evidenced by the bright citrine summer dress she was wearing. Generys and the boys were waiting for them at the entrance to the cirque. And it looked like they had managed to talk someone else into joining them. Suzu, or Suzie as everyone called her, was a petite Japanese girl and their resident contortionist. At just barely seventeen, she was one of the cirque's younger members and her inclusion in the night's activities set Remy's teeth on edge. Not because the girl was shy and impressionable, but because she was the exact opposite. Suzie was as wild and vivacious as Generys and was exactly the kind of girl who'd jump head first into trouble with a vampire. She was laughing at something Paul had said when Remy and Jasna walked up to them.

"Remy!" Suzie greeted loudly, throwing her arms around the other girl's neck. Remy tried not to sneeze as her crimped hair tickled her nose. Suzie smelt of jasmine and exuded vitality and life, just the kind of things that would make her an attractive meal to a bloodsucker. Her overly affectionate and trusting nature would make her easy prey and Remy found herself resolving to keep a watchful eye on the younger girl. "Oh, you look so pretty! You look like Benzaiten! I can't believe Jas managed to talk you into wearing something that actually fits you properly for once."

Suzie's bright disposition was overwhelming; Remy was returning her wide smile without even realising it.

"Benzaiten? What's that?" she asked.

"A water goddess," Suzie replied. "But also a goddess of wisdom, music, arts and love."

Generys threw her head back laughing at that.

"I think you've confused our Remy with someone else, Suzie. Isn't there a Japanese ice princess or something?"

Remy rolled her eyes, though Jasna did protest on her behalf.

"There's Yuki-onna. But Remy is definitely more water goddess than snow woman tonight. And Jasna! You are Amaterasu!"

"What's that?" asked Marko.

"The goddess of the sun!"

"And how about us?" asked David. He was watching them with a lazy smirk on his face that immediately raised Remy's hackles. Suzie shot him a playful grin.

"Oh, you guys are yosei, for sure."

Suzie linked her arm into Remy's, pulling her away and ignoring Paul and Marko's demands for an explanation as to what she had just called them. A quick glance over her shoulder told Remy that the others were following after them. At some point she noted David speaking quietly to Dwayne who then separated from the group, disappearing into the crowd on the boardwalk and taking Marko with him. He caught her watching and quirked a questioning brow, eyes flashing in amusement when she simply frowned back at him.

Their walk towards the beach was leisurely, almost painfully, slow. Suzie and Generys seemed to be distracted by every makeshift stall along the boardwalk that sold trinkets and knick-knacks. Random tourists would stop them every now and then, most of them recognising the tattooed redhead and statuesque sword swallower. Suzie would not so subtly wiggle her eyebrows lasciviously at Remy every time they were stopped, especially since it was mostly men who wanted their picture taken with Generys. They even made a stop at the bandstand. The band playing that night wasn't half bad and Suzie even got Remy to sway along to the music with her.

"Finally," an all too familiar voice muttered behind her.

Remy scowled back at David.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed back in an undertone. Neither Suzie, Generys nor Jasna were paying attention to them, too caught up in the music as they were, and Remy would prefer to keep it that way.

"I mean, are you always this uptight? _Relax_ , Remy."

Generys chose that moment to pull Suzie closer to the stage and Jasna was dancing with Paul so Remy felt it was safe enough to turn and confront the condescending Lost Boy. David met her annoyed gaze with a challenging one, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. The thing looked thick and heavy, not at all suited to Santa Carla's warm weather, especially since it was the middle of summer. And was he wearing a leather jacket under his coat? It certainly looked like it.

"Speak for yourself. You're the one standing there with your stupid amount of layers and looking far too cool to join us."

Far from being offended, David actually looked like he was holding back a laugh.

"That the best you got? Attacking my fashion sense, which is impeccable by the way."

"Oh that's a big word for you."

"Are you one of those girls who hate all men or is it just us?"

"Men? No. Boys like you? Yes."

Suzie ran back towards them then, eyes glistening and face flushed.

"There you guys are! Come on! I'm not going to let you two stand here like a couple of sticks in the mud."

Suzie grabbed David's arm and he actually let himself get pulled into the mass of gyrating bodies, casting Remy one last smirk over his shoulder as she was left to either follow them or wait for everyone like an idiot. Resisting the urge to scream, she stomped after them, wishing she were wearing boots instead of her flimsy flip flops; if she had to walk into the midst of a crowd she might as well crush a couple of toes while she was at it. It was around the fourth time a sweaty body deliberately rubbed up against her that Remy had enough and decided to risk a little bit of magic. She cast an invisible barrier around herself, just as few inches thick, enough to maintain some sort of personal space but not enough to be noticeable.

Remy found them right by the front of the stage. Paul was dancing with Generys now and Jasna had snagged herself a random dance partner, who definitely wasn't complaining about the attention she was giving him. Suzie had David's hands in hers and was playfully coaxing him to dance with her. Remy narrowed her eyes at the pair but pretended she was having fun when Suzie shot her a dazzling grin. The girl was certainly enjoying herself.

That was the pattern for the rest of the night. David stuck close to Suzie, Remy glared at him, and everyone else chose to be tactfully oblivious to the obvious tension between them. When they finally made it to a quiet section of the beach they found Dwayne and Marko waiting for them, a cooler stocked full of alcohol sitting in the sand between them and a blazing bonfire just feet away. Jasna dragged Remy towards the cooler and shoved a beer into her hands.

"Drink," she ordered. The woman waited for Remy to actually do as she was told, nodding in satisfaction when she took a tiny, stubborn sip. "Good. Now, I don't know what your drama is with David but can we try to have a bit of fun tonight?"

"I don't have a problem with David."

"Could've fooled me," Jasna snorted. "Look, if there's something going on between the two of you, you should've just said so. Suzie will back off if you ask her to. But you really can't blame her you know. David is a bit of a babe and we all thought you had that weird thing going on with Mr. Belteshazzar."

Remy tried not to cringe at that. She could see Dwayne standing just a few feet away and she would just bet that his vampire hearing was picking up on every word Jasna was saying.

"Nothing's going on between me and Belteshazzar," she protested.

"Do you know you're the only one who doesn't call him Mr. Belteshazzar?"

"So I've been told." Remy took another swig from her bottle. Dwayne was definitely eavesdropping, though he was doing well pretending like he was actually listening to whatever Generys was saying to him. Remy sighed and pulled Jasna a little further away from the others. "Look, I don't care if Suzie's into David. I'm worried, that's all. She loves everyone and she's just a kid. I've only known these guys for a couple of days – "

" – and they might be serial killers for all you know," Jasna cut in. "Girl, I know you tend to be overprotective and get all mama bear sometimes, but you're just a kid too, you know? Worrying about everyone all the time cannot be good for your health." She placed her hands on Remy's shoulders and gently shook her. "Okay. You need to cut loose tonight. We're going to dance, get wasted; maybe bum a bud or two off one of the boys. They look like they'd have all sorts of goodies hidden in their pockets."

As if he'd heard her – which he probably had – Paul pulled a burning branch from the bonfire to light up a joint. Jasna's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"It's like you read my mind." Jasna crossed over to where he was sitting by the bonfire, turning to shot Remy an exasperated look when she realised she hadn't followed. "Come on, Remy! One night of unbridled fun never hurt anyone."

 _Oh, you'd be surprised._

Jasna took a drag from the bud she snatched out of Paul's fingers, her shoulder relaxing immediately as she inhaled. She offered the joint to Remy, who rolled her eyes.

"I don't smoke."

As far as Remy knew, neither narcotics nor alcohol really had an effect on her unless they were laced with Belteshazzar's blood. She didn't think the Lost Boys would be stupid enough to pass around bottles or joints spiked with vampire blood in the presence of humans so it was highly unlikely that the bud that Jasna was holding out to her would have any effect. And she really couldn't be bothered pretending to be high throughout the night just to keep up her act. She was prepared for the others to try to pressure her into taking the joint and was surprised when Paul just shrugged and grabbed a bottle out of the cooler.

"But you do drink, right? Here, finish up that beer and help me break in a bottle of the good stuff."

Jasna had wandered over to join Dwayne and they seemed to have started up a conversation about knives. In fact, he'd pulled out a switchblade from somewhere and was showing it to her. Generys and Marko were dancing to the faint music that drifted towards them from the bandstand. And Suzie and David were sitting on the other side of the bonfire. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips and was watching her idly as she recounted a story of some sort, hands waving about animatedly and almost spilling her beer onto him more than once.

Paul was sitting in the sand now, still looking at her, expectantly. He grinned when she heaved a heavy sigh and tossed back the rest of her beer. Cracking open the bottle of whiskey, he took the first sip – more of a gulp really – downing a significant portion of the amber liquid. He held the bottle out to her and waggled his eyebrows. Remy levelled a bland look at the tall blonde, sat down opposite him, accepted the bottle and threw back a similarly impressive amount. There was a slight burning sensation as the whiskey slid down her throat, but that was it. When she handed the bottle back, Paul was looking at her with newfound respect.

"You look like you can hold your liquor." A lopsided smile crept across his face. "Or were you just trying to impress me?"

"You wish," Remy scoffed.

Paul laughed good-naturedly, leaning back on his arms as he squinted at her. His morning coat fell open as he did so; reminding Remy of the scars she had seen earlier.

"Nah, you're totally into me," teased the Lost Boy.

"And you're totally delusional," Remy retorted, though the slight quirk of her lips softened the blow. She lazily ran her fingers through the sand, watching him through her lashes as she posed her next question. "So, did you guys get into another fight or something?"

Paul's confused look told her he had no idea what she was talking about. She jerked her chin towards his chest.

"Those scars look new."

He looked down at his chest, surprised. But her observations hadn't fazed him. He shrugged carelessly.

"Yeah, we had a bit of a disagreement with someone," he chuckled. "You've got a sharp eye."

Remy reached for the bottle of whiskey and took another pull.

"Just another one of my many skills."

Paul shot her a flirtatious look.

"I'd be very interested to find out what those other skills are."

Remy snorted, handing back the bottle.

"Keep dreaming, blondie."

"While I love their music, you're going to have to come up with another nickname. I'm not the only blonde here. Things might get confusing."

The other two blondes were watching Suzie and Generys. Suzie's retelling of her story seemed to have evolved into a full-blown re-enactment and Generys seemed to find the entire thing entertaining enough to lend a hand. Jasna and Dwayne were finishing up the bud she had swiped from Paul and were taking turns messing around with his switchblade.

"I suppose you have a point there," Remy admitted. "But I don't really care enough to think of one at the moment."

Paul clutched at his heart and dramatically fell backwards.

"Ouch! That's harsh!"

Remy flicked sand at him.

"You'll survive. So, who was this someone you guys disagreed with? That same gang we met the other night?"

Paul pushed himself up and narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're just full of questions tonight, aren't you?"

Remy crossed her arms. She had decided that if she had to make nice, she might as well try to find out more about the Lost Boys since it might eventually lead her back to their leader. But it wasn't going to work if Paul was going to get defensive.

"About time the tables were turned, don't you think? Didn't you and Marko say I hadn't been giving you guys a chance? Well, here it is. How am I supposed to get to know you if I don't ask questions?"

"Well I don't really want to play twenty questions."

Paul took another large draft from the bottle and plopped it down between them, eyes gleaming in a challenge.

"Ever played Never Have I Ever?"

* * *

 **A/N:** **All right, this seems a good place as any to stop. Drinking games next chapter!**

 **Ugh! Caught the flu again for the FOURTH frigging time since moving back. I swear; I'm allergic to this island. This is just ridiculous.**

 **Thank you** AngelaAngieAng, scythe195, **and** arienna89 **for your lovely reviews, and to everyone else who placed this story on their favourites and alerts list. And to all my silent readers (and there are quite a few of you), hi!**

 **If anyone's interested in watching a few lyra routines, here are a couple I love (remember to take out the spaces for the link to work, you'll also have to add the dot com to youtube, dot net to ancient-origins and dot org to wiki because FF won't publish those for some reason):**

 **Tanya Burka's Hoop Improvisation (** **www . youtube watch?v=SiEM5uzT_yQ). It was one of the first, if not THE first lyra routine I ever saw. And it's still a favourite after all these years.**

 **Pretty much anything by Rebekah Burke. But here's the routine that won her the title of 2015 Women's Lyra U.S. Aerial Champion (** **www . youtube watch?v=1JhX0jwg6B0).**

 **I want to be just like them when I grow up.**

 **After staring at various pictures of Paul, I came to the conclusion that he isn't wearing a tux jacket or a tailcoat but an old fashioned morning coat. If anyone knows otherwise, please do correct me. And if anyone's curious about the difference between a tailcoat and a morning coat:** **en . wikipedia wiki/Tailcoat**

 **Info on Yuki-onna:** **www . ancient-origins myths-legends/heart-cold-ice-japanese-legend-yuki-onna-beautiful-yet-dangerous-snow-woman-007186**

 **Yosei:** **en . wikipedia wiki/Y%C5%8Dsei**

 **As usual, I love hearing from all of you. Did you like the chapter? Hate it? What needs improvement? Do you need more of our boys? Who am I kidding, of course you do! It took me six chapters but finally! Some proper interaction between Remy and the boys! Let me know what you think.**

 **Love always,**

 **Scribbles**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens**

"Those things will kill you one day."

Generys was attempting to blow smoke rings with the cigarette she'd bummed off of Paul. Suzie was lying next to Jasna, her head in the older female's lap. It looked like the alcohol she'd consumed was finally catching up to the petite girl. Jasna was playing with Suzie's hair, putting tiny braids throughout her dark, crimped mane. Sometime around their third round of Never Have I Ever, Remy and Paul had caught Generys' attention and that had somehow led to everyone else getting pulled into the game. Now they were all seated around the bonfire, about twelve rounds in, waiting for Suzie to take her turn.

"Maybe," Generys shrugged in response to Remy's statement. "But today is not that day." She extended her led and nudged Suzie in the side. "Come on, Suz. Have you got one or not?"

"Okay, fine," Suzie groaned. "Never had I ever stolen anything."

Everyone drank. Remy had finished off the last of the bottle of whiskey two round ago and was now drinking the vodka that was being passed around. It wasn't that great, but it wasn't awful either – cheap, but somewhat halfway decent. It certainly was enough to help Jasna achieve her goal of getting wasted. Generys complained about Suzie being a goodie-two-shoes.

"Am not," Suzie pouted.

"Well," said Remy, coming to her defence, "considering the aim of the game is to get everyone else to drink, I'd say that one wasn't half bad."

Generys snorted but didn't complain any further.

"All right, spill," she ordered. "Mine was a pair of earrings."

"We've got to pick just one?" asked Marko, who'd seated himself between Remy and Suzie.

Generys arched an incredulous, but elegant, brow.

"Well aren't you just the little klepto."

"It's not just me," the Lost Boy retorted.

Suzie rounded on the others, though she immediately shut her eyes and looked like she regretted the hasty movement.

"Really? Do you guys just like stealing stuff for shits and giggles or something?"

"Or something," David smirked.

Generys rolled her eyes and threw her arms up in the air.

"Fine. Be that way. Jas?"

"A Barbie. My foster parents couldn't afford one."

"Wow, you started early," Generys snickered. "What about you, Remy?"

Remy flashed back to the famine that had swept through her homeland right before she first met Belteshazzar.

"Food," she replied.

Suzie frowned.

"You pulled a dine and dash?"

"Not exactly."

"Well I've got one," said Marko before Suzie could pose more questions. "Never have I ever been able to lift my leg over my head."

He smirked as Remy scowled, calling him a cheater as she took another swig from the bottle. Generys and Suzie drank too. Dwayne looked at Jasna.

"Aren't you going to drink?"

"No," she retorted, defensively. "Not every female with the cirque is flexible as all fuck."

Jasna's words were slightly slurred; not obviously so, but noticeable enough for Remy to know that she and the boys were probably the only sober ones left. Generys may have looked fine, but she'd started smoking and Remy knew that was her tell. Remy had forced herself to actually relax some time around their sixth round, knowing it'd be suspicious if she showed no visible signs of being affected by the alcohol. At some point she'd laid down on her side, still facing the bonfire, doodling in the sand. Dwayne held his hands up, leaning further out of Jasna's reach should she decide she wanted to smack him to emphasize her point. There was the slightest hint of a smile lurking at the corner of his lips.

"My bad."

"So can we get a demonstration?" leered Paul, who was seated on Remy's other side, eyes flickering between the three females who'd lost that round.

"Sure," Remy smiled sweetly at him. "For the low, low price of an admission ticket."

"How about a private show?" pushed the Lost Boy.

Generys laughed, a sound low and warm, like a shot of scotch on a cold winter's night.

"You couldn't afford us, sweetheart," she purred.

"Oh come on," Paul persisted, leaning over so he could teasingly trail his fingers along Remy's ankle and up her calve. "I'm sure I could – "

But they never got to find out what it was that Paul could do. Feeling his hand along her leg, Remy had reacted instinctively and kicked out, her foot connecting squarely with his jaw. As his head jerked back from the blow, she shot up and glared at him. Shocked silence descended around the bonfire.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Paul reached up to dab at his lips, his fingers coming away with blood. Remy heard Suzie gasp but didn't turn around. She eyed the Lost Boy warily, wondering how he'd react to getting kicked in the face. It wasn't like she had meant to hurt him. She just really didn't like being touched; especially by someone who was practically a stranger. Paul turned to face her, something cold and hard flashing behind his eyes when he met her gaze. The sight of blood did not throw the others into a frenzy like she had half expected it to, instead everyone seemed to be carefully still, as if waiting to see who would make the next move. Strangely enough, it was Marko who broke the tension.

His bark of laughter shook the girls out of their surprise and Generys and Suzie soon joined him. Their high-pitched laughter was almost hysterical, as if their relief at the diffusion of the situation made the whole thing funnier than it should have been. Or maybe it was just the alcohol and the weed. Jasna smirked at Paul.

"We should've warned you she doesn't like being touched," the dark skinned beauty drawled.

Remy was surprised to hear a deep chuckle amongst the laugher, even more so when she traced the source of it to Dwayne. He caught her staring and surprised her again by winking at her. Across the bonfire, David looked like he was hiding a grin behind his cigarette. It was a bit hard to tell with him puffing away like a train engine.

Paul worked his jaw from side to side, still eyeing Remy disgruntledly. His tongue darted out to lick away the blood on his busted lip.

"You pack one hell of a kick," he grumbled.

"And she knows how to dislocate shoulders," added Marko, calming down a bit. "Maybe we should stop messing with her."

"So you have been messing with me?" accused Remy at the same time that Generys asked, "Who's she been fighting this time?"

"This time?" David echoed. "So you're saying she gets into fights often?"

"More often than she'd admit to," said the redhead, attempting another wobbly smoke ring.

"I thought Mr. Belteshazzar made you promise you wouldn't get into anymore fights after the last time," said Suzie, squinting drunkenly at the other girl.

"What happened last time?" asked David.

"Well, it was really Leander's fight," slurred Suzie. "But she ended it. The other guy would up in the hospital; blood everywh – "

"Suzie," warned Jasna, cutting the other girl off. She may have been buzzed, but Jasna had enough sense to realise that they were starting to become far too loose lipped for their own good.

Remy didn't like where this was going. Playing drinking games hadn't been a good way of learning anything about the Lost Boys at all. So far everything they'd admitted to had been harmless and easily guessed at, whereas, thanks to her lightweight mortal friends, she was feeling more and more exposed as the game continued.

"No, please go on," encouraged David. "This sounds interesting. And surprisingly violent."

"Surprising?" laughed Generys, ignoring the look Jasna was shooting her way. She waved her cigarette at Remy. "Don't let that cute face fool you. Under all that is a vicious little thing that'll tear you to pieces if you so much as look at her family wrong."

Marko smile was all teeth.

"Really now?"

All eyes were on her and Remy did not appreciate the attention one bit. Jasna looked far more sober that she had been a moment ago, having realised that they were straying into the type of dangerous territory that might not only get the cirque in trouble but bring their ringmaster's wrath down on all their heads. David took a long drag of his cigarette; his lips quirked in a lopsided almost smile.

"I get that," he said, carelessly flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette. He waved his hand in the general direction of the other boys. "If anyone even thought of hurting my brothers I wouldn't be all that nice about it either."

"You guys are brothers?" asked Suzie incredulously.

Generys squinted at each of them.

"I really can't see it," she said, tossing the butt of her cigarette into the bonfire. "Unless you guys have one of those blood pacts going on?"

"Something like that," smirked Marko.

Generys nodded.

"Sort of like the cirque then," she mused. "We may not be related by blood but we're family. Hell, they've treated me better than my own flesh and blood ever have."

"So what made you guys run away and join the circus?" asked David.

Generys grinned toothily at him.

"We'd tell you," she said enigmatically, "but then we'd have to kill you."

Marko cackled, Paul joining in though his laughter was more sedated. Dwayne chuckled. David looked amused.

"We'd like to see you try."

Jasna shivered at the same time that Remy noticed the by now familiar presence. They were no longer alone. Generys' grin slowly fell from her lips and even Suzie, who as far as Remy knew did not have the same enhanced sensitivity as the other women had, became subdued. Or as subdued as the girl was capable of being anyway. It all happened within the space of a few seconds, a normal person would not have noticed the change at all, but Remy saw how David's brow crinkled in a slight frown. And apparently so did Jasna.

"Did it get cold out here or is it just me?" she laughed with an exaggerated shiver.

"Nah," said Generys, deliberately stretching her arms over her head and stifling a yawn. "It is getting late. We should get back. I need my beauty sleep."

"You look perfectly fine," said Marko with a lazy smile. "I'll toss another log on the fire."

"Aren't you just a little sweetheart?" the redhead purred, returning his smile as Suzie giggled at the exchange. "But we really should go."

"Besides," Remy quipped, actually getting up and dusting the sand off her borrowed dress, "it's way past Suzie's bedtime."

"Hey!" the girl protested.

The Lost Boys reluctantly got to their feet as well. Dwayne helped Jasna up and even shrugged out of his leather jacket so he could drape it over her shoulders. David pulled Suzie up so hard it sent her crashing into his chest. He chuckled. She blushed. Remy rolled her eyes.

Marko started kicking sand over their bonfire. Paul reached into the cooler.

"How about one more for the road?"

The bottle Paul held up was the most needlessly fancy decorated wine bottle that Remy had ever seen. And when the blonde popped the cork, the smell of old blood immediately assaulted her senses. There wasn't enough of it for the others to notice, just like how Generys never noticed her own spiked bottles in her trailer, but Remy knew that it'd only take one sip for the tainted blood to have its effect on the others. And herself for that matter – unless it came from their sire, old blood could kill a vampire; even those that had not fully made the change. Remy wondered how she did not notice the bottle in the cooler before and realised that she hadn't actually had to fetch herself a drink all night, someone else always seemed closer and would just hand her one.

"What is it?" asked Jasna, eyeing the bottle curiously and more than a little suspicious.

"It's just wine," David assured them, though he was looking at Paul with something unreadable in his eyes. Had this not been a part of the plan? It did seem strange that the boys would wait so long before offering them the bottle.

Surprisingly, it was Suzie that shot them down.

"I think I've had enough of mixing my drinks for one night," she said. Though now that she'd mentioned it, Remy did note how the younger girl looked a little queasy. So maybe not that surprising then.

Paul caught Remy's eye, sending her a silent challenge. She could feel the anticipation in the air. It was almost oppressive.

She shook her head and fixed what she hoped looked like an apologetic smile on her face.

"I'm done."

Paul held her gaze for another long beat before shrugging like the entire thing made no difference to him.

"Suit yourself," he sang, taking a swig from the bottle before jamming the cork back into its neck. They left the cooler in the sand but Paul brought the elaborate wine bottle along with him.

They parted ways on the boardwalk, Generys and Jasna taking a full ten minutes to admire their motorbikes before the boys disappeared into the night with a deafening road of their engines. Remy was physically propping Suzie up by this point and made a mental note to not allow the girl to indulge this much the next time. Better yet, she'd try to make sure there wasn't a next time.

It wasn't until they stepped onto cirque grounds that they felt their unseen stalker leave them. Remy thought it was a bit odd that the vampire leader would give up before they'd even reached a private area. But she wasn't going to complain.

Jasna let loose an audible sigh.

"Tell me I wasn't the only one who felt that," she muttered.

"You weren't," said Generys. "Remy? Suz?"

"What was that?" asked the petite contortionist.

"I'm actually surprised you felt it at all, Suzie," admitted Jasna.

"Hey!" came the indignant reply. "I may not have been around magic as long as you guys but I have enough sense to know when something doesn't feel right! That didn't feel right at all."

"Remy?" Generys asked. "You're the magic weilder. What was that we felt?"

Remy cut a glance at the other women keeping in step with her and a stumbling Suzie. They looked worried. No, that wasn't it. They looked scared.

"That wasn't magic," she replied quietly. "Not really."

"That was evil," growled Jasna.

"Dramatic, aren't you?" scoffed Generys, though her voice wasn't as mocking as it could've been.

"What was it then?" snapped the sword swallower.

"Should we tell Mr. Belteshazzar?" Suzie asked sleepily. She tripped over her own feet and almost dragged Remy down with her.

"He already knows," grunted Remy as she righted the other girl. Jasna stopped in her tracks.

"He _knows_?" she repeated. "He knows that that – that – _thing_ is out there and he hasn't moved the cirque the hell out of here yet? _Why?_ "

"Remy, what's going on here?" Generys demanded.

They'd reached the trailer that Suzie shared with the twins by this point. Jasna wordlessly took her off Remy's hands to enable her to unlock the door, but Generys stepped in her way. The determined expression on the redhead's face told Remy that she wasn't going to back down until she had some answers. But then something behind her caught Generys' attention, causing her eyes to widen and her spine to stiffen.

"Mr. Belteshazzar," exclaimed Generys, respectfully.

"Ladies." Belteshazzar smiled warmly at each of them. "Late night? Or should I say early morning?"

Remy tried to keep the scowl off her face. She didn't like Belteshazzar sneaking up on them. She liked the dark glint in his eyes even less. She was pretty sure he'd heard Generys' question.

"Just out making friends," she answered carefully. "Like you told me too."

"About time." He somehow managed to make those two words convey a world of meaning: threat, pride, affection, smugness, and possession. Remy wasn't sure if the others read the same undertones in his words, but they certainly looked uncomfortable.

A heavy silence stretched out for a tense beat before Jasna blurted out, "Excuse us, Mr. Belteshazzar, but we should really let Suzie go to bed and sleep this off."

Remy turned from Belteshazzar to look at the other women. Suzie looked far more sober than she had been mere minutes ago. Generys was struggling to keep from frowning. Jasna simply seemed like she'd rather be anywhere else at the moment. Respect, doubt, and the growing traces of fear kept the others from making a move, despite the excuse Jasna had made.

' _They know too much.'_

Remy had to physically stop herself from snapping her head round to glare at Belteshazzar.

' _They know nothing,'_ she mentally hissed back.

' _They're asking questions. They're scared. You know they won't just let this go.'_

She knew what he was going to ask.

' _No.'_

Belteshazzar shot her a warning look.

' _It needs to be done.'_

' _I won't do it.'_

' _Remy.'_

' _What's wrong with letting them know?'_

' _It's not safe.'_

' _Safe? For who? Them? Or You?'_

' _I'm doing what's best for the cirque.'_

' _This has nothing to do with the cirque! This is about fucking vampires!'_

' _Vampires that are a threat to the cirque!'_

' _Then you shouldn't have brought us here!'_

' _I thought you'd want to know what happened to your family.'_

This time Remy fully rounded on Belteshazzar. Some part of her registered that the others were staring at the two of them and realised that they had been quiet for too long. But she was too focused on her anger at this point to care.

' _I want to know what_ you _were doing there that night.'_

Belteshazzar narrowed his eyes.

' _Saving your life. Or have you forgotten?'_

"Well. Goodnight then!" It was Jasna again, eager to get away from the uncomfortable situation. She didn't know what was going on but she was pretty sure she didn't want to be there right now.

"Yeah," chirped Suzie with a false brightness. "I'm beat. Goodnight, Mr. Belteshazzar!"

"Goodnight," replied Remy in as calm and even a voice as she could manage. She surreptitiously flicked a finger towards the trailer door, unlocking it so that the others could retreat inside. Since they lived in the trailers, they were technically private homes. And as far as she knew, neither Suzie nor the twins had ever invited Belteshezzar into their trailer so they should be safe once they were inside.

"Just a moment, ladies – "

"Get inside," ordered Remy, cutting Belteshazzar off.

They didn't wait to be told twice. Generys practically pushed Jasna and Suzie into the trailer, shooting Remy a wary look over her shoulder. Beltezhazzar made to take a step towards the trailer but Remy slammed the door shut behind the women. His eyes flashed dangerously. It was all the warning she had.

A sharp pain pierced her skull, causing her to grab at her head and cry out in agony. It felt like someone had taken a red-hot poker and thrust it between her eyes, twisting it and turning her brain to mush. She had only experienced this once before, early on in her relationship with Belteshazzar, before the cirque, when she had disagreed with a kill he had made. It had been a child, a little street urchin no one would've missed. She had been furious. They fought. And he had demonstrated to her the kind of power a sire held over their sired. He had been sorry then, had let up the mental assault after only a minute, and had promised he wouldn't do it again.

"Remy, Remy, Remy," Belteshazzar tsked. "Why can't you just do as you're told?"

He was looking down at her, though she couldn't remember when she had ended up flat on her back. His eyes had turned vampiric yellow, rimmed with red. His elongated incisors flashed in a sympathetic smile as her scream finally faded away.

The curtains rustled as the girls peaked out in horror at them through the dusty window, and the light came on in another trailer. Someone opened their door, shining a torch into the darkness and demanding to know what the hell was going on. Her screams had woken people up. Remy barely noticed this past the pain that was still pulverising her mind. But Belteshazzar had.

"Now look what you've done," he sighed, kneeling down next to her. "I really wish it hadn't come to this, Remy."

He grabbed her chin, tilting her head back so that she could see the girls, Kakra and Zesiro included, staring at them. Generys looked livid, her tattoos rippling across her skin in her rage. Jasna was holding Suzie, trying to calm the younger girl down. The twins seemed torn between confusion and fear.

"You have two choices. Either you wipe their memories of this like you should've done to begin with, make them forget why they were asking all those questions tonight, make them forget what they've seen. Or I can kill them. And whoever else is coming this way."

She noticed the heavy footsteps then. Whoever was approaching was one of the cirque's larger members, someone who could put up a fight; a fight that might attract even more attention and bring others out of their trailers.

"So what will it be?"

He eased up on the mental attack, releasing her chin to gently stroke her hair as he waited patiently for her answer. But there really was no choice. The cirque was family.

"I'll do it," she gasped. "I'll do it. Just don't hurt them."

His pleased grin was predatory.

"That's a good girl."

Belteshazzar helped Remy sit up just as Angus came up to them, a torch in his hand and a cautious look on his face.

"Mr. Belteshazzar. Remy," greeted the strong man. "Was that you? What's going o…"

The words died on his lips as Belteshazzar turned to face the man, his unmistakably vampiric features appearing far more shocking under the artificial light of the torch. The girls were banging against the window, yelling at him to run. He took one step back before Remy threw out her arm towards him, stopping him in his tracks. She tried to blink away the residual pain still gripping her mind. She needed a clear head or she ran the risk of turning him into a drooling vegetable. She could smell the terror rolling off of him in waves.

"Remy," Angus squeaked.

Belteshazzar was stroking her hair again, attempting to be a more calming presence in her mind this time. His lips brushed the shell of her ear as he whispered sweet nothings, his yellow eyes never leaving Angus.

"Do it," he breathed.

Remy reached into Angus' mind, finding the threads of his memory and carefully unweaving them. She tried to pour some of the calmness that Belteshazzar was feeding her into the strong man, removing his newfound fear of them. She reshaped his memory of the last few minutes, turning her screams into the kind of howls Fillin or one of Sylvie's animals might make in the middle of the night. She erased his memory of stepping out of his trailer and seeing herself and Belteshazzar. And then she lulled him to sleep. He would wake in the morning with a slight headache but not recollection of what happened that night. When she pulled out of his mind, Angus collapsed, unconscious but safe from Belteshazzar's wrath.

"Good," Belteshazzar cooed. "And now the others."

It took Remy twenty minutes to wipe the girls' memories of what they had seen, and another five to do a mental sweep of the surrounding trailers just to make sure no one else had witnessed anything. By the time she was done, Belteshazzar's arm around her shoulders was the only thing keeping her upright and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She felt his other arm slide under her knees to pick her up. He cradled her to him, pressing his nose into her hair.

"Why can't you just do what you're told to begin with?"

"You," she gasped, fighting to get her words past her dry throat, "you don't…hurt…family."

Belteshazzar sighed.

"I'm your family, Remy," he spoke against her hair, his teeth running along her skull.

Remy wriggled in his arms as he stepped over Angus, trying to reach out for the unconscious man.

"I'll come back for him," Belteshazzar reassured her. "You need to sleep."

Remy struggled weakly in his grasp but he simply tightened his hold on her, gently shushing her. She fought to stay awake but with everything that had happened that night, she had fallen into a deep sleep long before Belteshazzar lowered her onto her bed. He noticed the slight furrow of her brows and reached out to try to smooth them out. But even in her sleep, Remy turned away from his touch. He stayed long enough to make sure she was comfortable before forcing himself to leave. He knew she wouldn't appreciate him inviting himself to stay the night.

As he closed her door behind him, Belteshazzar looked out into the night, listening for any sounds that might've been out of place, making sure that everyone else in the cirque was still fast asleep. He went back for Angus, just like he had told Remy he would. Fortunately, he had been inside the strong man's trailer before so there was no difficulty in returning him to his bed. Belteshazzar conducted one more sweep of the cirque before finally heading back to his trailer, thoughts of how Remy would react in the morning circling in his mind. He wondered if he had finally pushed her too far. She'd seemed to accept his secrets before, but this time it had come at the cost of those she cared about. He supposed he should be glad that Leander hadn't been one of their victims tonight. If the boy had been there, Belteshazzar knew that Remy would've fought tooth and nail to protect him; even from herself.

Belteshazzar had been so focused on the girl in his arms, was so wrapped up in his thoughts of her that he never noticed the four pairs of red-rimmed yellow eyes watching them. He did not notice them following them from Suzie's trailer back to Remy's own. He did not sense them watching as he carefully tucked her into bed. Neither did he notice when they quietly left the cirque's grounds to report on what they had seen that night.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Hey guys! I'm sorry this one took longer than I had initially anticipated it would. Honestly, I kind of had a moment of doubt about this story. Like I knew people were reading it but I only ever heard back from three people each chapter (four the last time), and I just kept thinking I must've been doing something wrong and that people didn't really like the story. Silly, I know, because even I'm not the best at reviewing everything I read. But still…**

 **The biggest thanks go out to** FlowerChild23 **,** PlaidPajamas01 **,** arienna89 **and** Starcrier **(whose review came at a moment when I just needed to hear something encouraging). You guys are beyond amazing. Thank you also to everyone who's put** Heathens **on their favourites or alerts list.**

 **This particular chapter kind of took several turns that I hadn't expected it to. For one, the plan had been for David to get punched in the face but Paul ended up copping it instead. Oops?**

 **On an unrelated (sort of) writing note: I'm thinking of starting a . Anyone on here have one? I've read up a bit on it and I know that there are different membership tiers and patrons donate monthly or every time a creator produces something (in my case it'd be new chapters). But would I be able to accept commissions on there too? Or is that a separate thing? If I were to open commission slots, would anyone be interested in one?**

 **As always, I'd love to hear back from you guys. Your encouragement keeps me going!**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** **Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.**

 **Rated 'M' for strong language and, well, vampire stuff.**

* * *

 **Heathens**

Remy dreamt of fire.

It surrounded her; engulfed her; consumed her from the inside out. She screamed but made no sound; her cries for help dying in her throat that had been burnt raw. She coughed at the smoke filling her lungs. It stung her eyes but she forced herself to keep them open, to see what was to come.

" _Remy!_ "

The voice was familiar though she hadn't heard it in a long time. It was angry, desperate – fearful. It croaked with age but she could still hear the power, barely kept in check, behind it. She knew this voice, knew the face it belonged to; crows feet surrounding laughing brown eyes; dark hair turned silver with age; a prominent crooked nose from when he'd broken it as a child, before his magic kicked in. She knew this dream too, though it had been years since she last had it.

There was something heavy lying across her chest, crushing her ribs, pressing the jagged edges of bone into her lungs. She could feel the blood bubbling up the back of her throat, could taste its metallic tang. The flames still licked at her but she was starting to feel cold.

She was dying.

" _Remy!_ "

She heard the crack of the roof above her finally giving way under the intensity of the fire, saw the flaming beams come plunging down towards her and tried not to think of the force of its impact that would surely crush her skull. But that fatal blow never came.

The fiery pine beam came to a halt a mere hairsbreadth away from her face, held aloft by some unseen force. She could feel the heat of the burning wood, could hear sizzling; it took a moment for her to recognise it as the sound of her tear stained skin singeing. She whimpered as she felt the weight ease itself off her chest. Dark eyes that had no business being that anguished appeared above her. Gentle hands hovered over her face, afraid to touch her for fear of exacerbating her injuries. The elderly man kneeling beside her practically glowed with power and his mere presence was a soothing balm.

" _Äijih_ ," she burbled weakly, squeezing her eyes against the sharp spike of pain that pierced through her chest as she tried to take in a deeper breath.

" _Muu räähis nieidâ_. _Keččâđ mii_ ," her grandfather ordered. Her eyes snapped open, following the magic that sparked across his fingers as he held them over her charred flesh, willing the power into her body to keep her alive. His gaze caught her own and she could practically feel the pressure of his overwhelming life force wrapping around her own.

" _Ei_ ," she breathed, trying to push him away as she realised what he was doing.

He shushed her, easily dodging her hands as he poured more of himself into her. Outside, a loud crack sounded, and an agonising cry was suddenly cut short. A chill rippled through her as Remy and her grandfather turned to look through the flames at a shadowy figure that suddenly loomed at the entrance of the burning log cabin.

" _Sun adeliđ mii, puáris almai_ ," hissed the voice that would haunt her nightmares for decades. She knew this voice but it was wrong somehow – warped, twisted – poisoned.

" _Et tun väldiđ sun_ ," barked her grandfather, rising to his feet to stand between Remy and their attacker. Energy crackled up his arms; a warning that he wasn't going to back down without a fight.

" _Pâârnâš muu!_ " the shadow roared.

Blue flames surged forth to meet a wall of blinding white light. Remy screamed as the explosion of power threw her through a door and into the crumbling kitchen. Her broken ribs punctured her lung and she began to drown in her own blood. As she struggled to remain conscious, she watched as the shadow swept aside her grandfather's defences as if they were nothing. Its spindly, feminine arm, engulfed in tongues of blue fire, backhanded the old man with enough force to knock him off his feet. It wrapped its fingers around his throat, pressing him into the wooden floorboards.

" _Keččâđ mii_!" it snarled.

The last thing Remy saw was the flash of impossibly sharp teeth sinking into her grandfather's neck as his dark eyes bore into hers.

* * *

" _Äijih_ _!_ " Remy cried as she shot out of bed, gasping.

Her sudden movement invoked a startled scream from her kitchen and she whirled around, legs tangling in her sheets, to confront her intruder. Her arm shot forward before her sleep addled brain properly registered who was standing in her trailer. A ball of energy, sparking with defensive magic, cannoned into her kitchen cabinets, sending splinters of wood, metal chips and shards of glass and porcelain flying everywhere.

"What the hell, Remy!" shrieked Generys. The redhead stared incredulously at the spot she had been standing in mere seconds ago. "You could've killed me!"

"I – " Remy gasped, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

Generys pushed herself to her feet, dusting off the ashy remains of Remy's kitchen that clung to her. She had on a pair of aviators that had slid off her nose and now hung off her left ear. She winced as she straightened the sunglasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Girl, you must've been _way_ more wasted last night than I thought you were," she groaned. "Then again, you did go through that whiskey like it was water."

Remy closed her mouth with a snap, shook her head, and started again.

"I'm sorry, Genny – "

"I forgive you."

" – but what are you doing here?"

Generys waved her arm around in a grand gesture as if the answer was obvious.

"Uh, making my famous hangover cure, duh," she said as she flung open the fridge. "What happened to the rest of your bananas?"

"I ate them. Why couldn't you make it at your place?" asked Remy as she untangled herself from her sheets. Beltezhazzar must have carried her back last night she realised, for she was sure she had been in no shape to walk back to her trailer on her own after everything that had happened. She shot Generys a careful look, watching the physically older woman flutter around her cramped kitchen, pulling the blender out from a cupboard that hadn't been blown to smithereens.

"Blender broke. And besides, this way I can make you some too. If your head feels anything like mine you'll definitely need it. Almost makes me glad I didn't wake up next to one of the boys this morning. I would not have been nice."

Remy doubted that the Lost Boys cared about how nice their one night stands were in the morning, considering they probably wouldn't have lived to see another day. But she kept that thought to herself. She flinched as the blender whirled to life and had to physically stop herself from lashing out again. Was Generys trying to punish her? Had she messed up somehow and the other woman actually still remembered what happened last night and this was her revenge? It was highly unlikely but she couldn't think of why else Generys would be intentionally aggravating her pounding headache. At least she was pretty sure it was intentional.

"It's been a while since I've drunk enough to black out," Generys continued, half shouting over the noise of the blender. "How did we even make it back to the cirque last night?"

"No idea," Remy muttered. She raised her voice. "Why are you shouting?"

"How else would you hear me?" the redhead reasoned.

"But don't you have a headache?"

"Yeah. But misery loves company, right?" Generys grinned.

After another ten seconds, she finally switched the blender off, brandishing the plastic jug over her head like a trophy. Rummaging around for an intact glass, Generys absentmindedly reached for one of Remy's wine bottles and made to add its contents into her questionable hangover cure, but was stopped by an invisible force. She looked over her shoulder to see Remy with an arm outstretched towards her, a wide-eyed look on her face.

"What?" Generys asked with an arched brow. "Hair of the dog, am I right?"

Remy smiled shakily.

"I think we've had enough alcohol to last us at least until next month. Put it back, Genny."

Generys shrugged, returning the bottle to the rack.

"Suit yourself." She lifted the blender jug to her lips, swigging back the thick sludge. "Ugh…would've definitely been better with a splash of wine. But you're probably right. Me and Jas somehow ended up on the floor of Suz's trailer last night. Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to wake up to the twins when your brain's all scrambled?"

"Horrifying, I'm sure," Remy mumbled, swinging her legs off her bed. She frowned. She had definitely been wearing more than a thin camisole and undies last night. Belteshazzar must have changed her. "Genny, I love you, but can you please get the hell out of my trailer?"

Generys ambled over, offering her hangover cure to the girl. She perched herself on the edge of the bed and playfully ran a nail over Remy's knee.

"Relax, girl. Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Remy sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"That's not what I meant." She accepted the plastic jug and took a sip. It did not taste any better than the last time. "I'm glad you're okay and all but I really just want to curl up under a dozen blankets and never see people again."

"Of course I'm okay. And you don't even own a dozen blankets."

Remy groaned and dropped her head onto Generys' shoulder.

"Genny!" she whined.

The other woman laughed, pushing her off her shoulder.

"All right, all right! I get when I'm not wanted. Break my heart, why doncha? But I'm taking this!"

Generys took back the jug and took an obnoxiously large swallow. She dramatically flung open the trailer door and immediately hissed at the painfully bright light.

"Maybe you were right," she groaned. "Let's never go drinking again."

"Wait!"

Generys shot her a questioning look, one foot literally out the door of the trailer.

"Was just wondering…" Remy began, "…is…I mean are…are the others all right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jas. Suzie. Kakra. Zesiro. How are they?"

Generys shrugged.

"Well the twins must've been partying it up last night too because everyone's got one hell of a headache. But nothing my hangover cure won't fix."

Remy nodded.

"And Angus?"

"Passed him on my way up here. Are _you_ all right?" Generys shot her a concerned look. "You don't look too hot."

"What?" Remy shook her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just…" she smiled weakly, "last night was rough, you know?"

Generys didn't look convinced but eventually returned her smile.

"Yeah," she agreed. "So many bad choices. Let's not do that again."

"So many bad choices," Remy echoed.

The redhead stumbled out of the trailer, lifting Remy's jug in farewell. Remy watched her narrowly avoid colliding into Sylvie who was taking Dinah out on a walk. She danced around Fillin and Ignatius, laughing at something the werewolf said as she twirled past, immediately grabbing her head with regret after the spin. It was well into the afternoon and the cirque was bustling with life. The faint smile came unbidden and reluctantly, but she made no attempt to quash it. It was good to see some normalcy after the events of last night.

Last night had been a complete nightmare, and she wasn't just referring to her dream. Belteshazzar had literally torn through her mind and had forced her to do the same to the people she cared about. She could only be thankful that Leander hadn't been there for she was pretty sure she would never have been able to wipe his mind like Belteshazzar wanted, and he would have ended up killing everyone.

Remy kicked the door shut, pulling at her hair in exasperation. She was so stupid and this was so messed up. She should have been more suspicious when Belteshazzar made the cirque move to Santa Carla. She should have questioned why he was being so secretive about not letting the others know that he was a vampire, people that they were supposed to trust and consider as family. She should have fought harder when he made her spend more time with the Lost Boys, especially when they knew the vampire stalking them was powerful enough to be felt by the others. It wasn't safe in Santa Carla. It wasn't safe with Belteshazzar.

But he had saved her life. In many ways, he had saved everyone in the cirque from untimely deaths. Left on their own, many would have been persecuted, hunted down and killed; just because they didn't fit into society's definition of what was acceptably normal. But at the same time, last night had proven that Belteshazzar didn't really care if the others lived or died. They were expandable to him. What he cared about was keeping her under his thumb and – and –

And keeping them a secret from the other vampires.

Remy's arms dropped to her side as she stared unseeingly at the floor.

Belteshazzar was…afraid. He was chasing this mysterious head vampire but he was afraid. He knew who this person was but didn't want them to know that he was in town.

 _He was there that night. The night you should've died._

That's what Belteshazzar had said – _he_ was there. Santa Carla's mysterious head vampire was a man. But the creature that had killed her grandparents had been female. She was pretty sure of that.

Remy scowled. Things were not adding up and she wanted answers.

* * *

David shuddered as the tourist's blood poured down his throat. The guy was straight edge and that made him taste so much sweeter – pure – clean. It was a deliciously heady experience; a nice change from the usual Santa Carla fare. Just a few feet away, Dwayne was enjoying the guy's girlfriend, viciously draining her dry. Paul and Marko showed up just as they were throwing the bodies onto a bonfire, both of them drenched in blood. None of them spoke as they flew back to the cave and cleaned themselves up in the ocean.

Things were getting complicated in Santa Carla.

Four nights ago, he and his brothers had noticed the presence of something else on the boardwalk – something ancient and malevolent. They hadn't been sure if they should report it to Max. Their relationship with their sire had definitely changed after the Emersons and it had taken a while for David to realise that it was because he wasn't so sure he trusted Max anymore.

But in the end it hadn't really mattered because Max had sensed the newcomer too. And he'd been furious that they had gone against his wishes and not only visited the boardwalk but the circus as well. His idea of discipline had incapacitated them for a couple of nights and was what really drove home the realisation that they needed to get out from under his thumb. And as if that hadn't been enough, he then had the audacity to order them to keep an eye on the circus girl and her ringmaster, backing it up with the power of a sire's command so that they couldn't refuse unless they wanted to suffer agonising pain.

Then there was what they saw last night. Actually, David wasn't quite sure what he saw last night. They'd all agreed that they had definitely seen the ringmaster's eyes flash vampire yellow. Marko swore he saw the man's teeth grow. And they certainly recognised the symptoms of a sire launching a mental assault on their sired. But what happened after…

It looked like Remy had stopped that muscle man in his tracks just by reaching her hand out to him. He had stood absolutely still, completely frozen, for a good minute or two before crumpling like a marionette that had its strings cut. That was not typically something a vampire could do to a human, let alone a half-vampire; for David was almost positive that Remy hadn't fully turned yet. He would definitely have sensed if she were a vampire. Then again, none of them had sensed that she was a half-vampire. Not only that, but the ringmaster hadn't felt right either. They struggled to read vampire off of him; in fact, they struggled to read anything off of the man, like something was blocking them from sensing him.

David shook the salt water out of his hair, popping the collars of both his jackets angrily. Even Marko jumping on Paul to dunk him back underwater failed to bring a hint of a smile to his face. Dwayne scrubbed the last of the blood out of his jacket and flung it over his shoulder, not at all keen on putting on wet leather.

"So," the brunette began, "what now?"

"Yeah," piped Paul, throwing Marko off his back. "I know Max said we're supposed to be spying on Remy and that Belt-see-whatsisname guy, but I have a bad feeling about this, man."

"Do you think the rest of the circus are vampires too?" asked Marko. "I mean; we never knew Remy was a half. Maybe the rest of them have some way of hiding the usual signs too."

"I don't know," admitted David. He kicked violently at the loose rocks that lined the shore outside the cave's entrance. "I don't know!"

"Max knew about the girl and the ringmaster," Dwayne pointed out. "He could be hiding other things from us."

"Of course he's hiding other things from us," David grumbled.

He snatched up Dwayne's jeans from where his brother had kicked them off before heading into the water and searched the pockets for his cigarettes. The others watched him carefully as he lit up, silently getting redressed. They shared in his anger and irritation at their sire, at the entire situation. They didn't like having been kept in the dark. And they were getting tired of blindly obeying him.

"It's not like he'll just give us answers if we ask him nicely," said Dwayne, voicing the thought that had been on David's mind for a while.

"What happens if we _don't_ ask him nicely?" Paul suggested.

David's gaze slid over to meet Paul's baby blues, easily reading the growing excitement in them as the idea started to take root. A slow grin spread over Marko's face. Dwayne remained seemingly impassive, though the slight tightening of the muscles around his jaw told David that the idea appealed to him too.

"In case you guys forgot, he kicked our asses just a few nights ago," David reminded them. "And he's still our sire. All he has to do is think it and he can have us curled up on the ground, drooling and crapping our pants."

"Well, that would suck," muttered Paul.

They followed their brother as he climbed back into their cave. David used the last of his cigarette to light up the other one he'd tucked behind his ear, furiously puffing away as he tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't get them all severely injured or killed. A year ago, he would've sworn on his undead heart that Max would never intentionally do anything that would hurt them. Now, he wasn't even sure that his sire wouldn't kill one of them to set an example for the others if the fancy struck him. Max wasn't right in the head – not after the Emersons.

His brothers usually bounded ahead of him once they reached the main cavern, but tonight they trailed sedately behind him, allowing David to set the pace. Marko didn't even stray towards one of his pigeons. It didn't help, knowing that his brothers looked to him to make a decision that could affect the rest of their lives. David could almost physically feel the pressure weighing down on his shoulders.

If anyone asked, he would've sworn that was the reason why he didn't notice the intruder until it was too late.

"What the hell!" cried Paul as he suddenly found himself unable to move.

He had only made it halfway down the rubble that blocked the large cavern off from the entrance, and was precariously balanced on one foot, the other raised in the middle of taking another step. Dwayne strained fruitlessly against his invisible binds, roaring with rage when he realised he couldn't move a single muscle. Marko had been hopping up onto the fountain and was frozen with his toes just touching its edge and the other leg completely off the ground.

David stood in the middle of the cave, his cigarette raised to his lips. He breathed out a cloud of smoke and realised that he could move his head but nothing else.

"That's a pretty neat party trick," he called out, his voice deceptively calm.

The diaphanous curtains and scarves around Star's bed rippled as the intruder stepped out from behind it. He should have gotten rid of the stupid thing ages ago. It wasn't like anyone else actually slept in the bed anyway. He ignored his brothers' snarls, fixing his eyes on the circus girl as Remy revealed herself.

The girl still had on her stage makeup, but she had obviously taken the time to change out of whatever costume she'd worn that night. Her clothes were practical but tight, and her hair had been tied back into a bun – nothing flowing, nothing loose; nothing that could be grabbed at in the middle of a fight – smart.

"Evening, Remy," David drawled. "Why don't you let us get some light going? Make it nice and cosy. Then you can tell us what the hell you're doing here."

The girl stared at him and it pissed him off that he couldn't tell what she was thinking. One by one, she met the gaze of each of his brothers, silently measuring them up, assessing them. When her eyes returned to him, they narrowed slightly and something behind them hardened. She snapped her fingers and the metal oil drums and candles they kept scattered around the cave flared into life. David had to physically stop himself from flinching at the sudden eruption of fire. Behind him, he could hear Paul and Marko swearing up a storm at the unexpected display of power.

"What are you?" asked David carefully.

"Does it really matter?" Remy replied.

"Are you here to kill us?" he shot back.

"If I were, you'd already be dead."

David wasn't sure if she was telling the truth. But the girl wasn't anything they had ever faced before. She hadn't hurt them. And they were still alive. That was a good start.

"How did you find us?" barked Paul.

Her lips curled in the barest hint of a smile before she smoothed over her features again.

"Made friends with a couple of vampire hunters. They were very helpful. Even gave me these when I let slip that I wanted to take a look at your lair." She pulled out a wooden stake she had tucked away in her back pocket and showed them the canteen she had slung over her shoulder. David was willing to bet his left nut that the plastic bottle was filled with holy water. "I have to say, I'm surprised that you guys didn't clear out after what happened."

Her eyes shot towards David at the snarl he let slip at that.

"Yes. They told me what happened. Must have been excruciatingly painful, what you guys went through." She threw the stake into the ground with enough force that it quivered when it impaled the hard-packed earth. Letting the canteen slip carelessly from her fingers, she dropped herself into David's wheelchair, never once taking her eyes off of them. "Have to say, I probably wouldn't have put up with a sire who let that happen to me; who put outsiders over family."

His brothers were practically chomping at the bit now. David didn't need to turn around to know that they had all vamped out. He was barely holding back the turn himself. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around the girl's skinny neck and watch her eyes glass over as he squeezed the life out of her.

"What do you want?" he ground out.

"What I want is a face to face with Max." She ignored the rage filled hissing that her mention of the name seemed to prompt. "I'm told he is your sire."

"And who told you that?" David snapped.

"Like I said, I made new friends."

The Froggies – he should have killed them the moment he and his brothers regained their strength. Hell, it's what Paul had been saying they should do for a while now but he was being cautious, reluctant to risk losing his brothers again. And now his decision had come back to bite him in the ass.

David's cigarette had burnt low and was threatening to burn his fingers if he didn't move them soon. But Remy made no offer to let them loose and he refused to show weakness by asking. Not just yet anyway.

"Why don't you ask your new friends where to find him? Since they seem to know so much."

The girl shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Of course I asked them. But no one at the video store knew anything and his old house is empty."

"How do you know they weren't lying to you?" he challenged.

Remy smiled lazily, probably intending it to be disarming and reassuring.

"I have my ways," she said, enigmatically.

"Can you read our minds?" Paul yelped.

Her smile curled wider – toothier.

"Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me, Paul."

David narrowed his eyes suspiciously. If the girl could read minds, why didn't she just pluck the information she wanted out of their heads? What wasn't he seeing here?

"Where's _your_ sire?" he demanded.

If Remy was surprised by him turning the tables on her, she hid it well. She made no attempt to deny that she might be a vampire. She didn't even hesitate in her reply.

"Back at the cirque."

"Getting you to do his dirty work?" David scoffed.

"He doesn't know I'm here," she admitted. "At least not why anyways."

The stench of burning flesh reached his nose but his fingers refused to drop the cigarette butt. The girl must have smelt it too for her eyes darted to his hand and, for the first time that night, he saw something flicker behind them. He watched her as she stared at his fingers, seemingly lost in thought. David frowned. Things didn't add up.

"What do you want with Max?"

The girl had to drag her eyes away from his hand. It took a couple more seconds for her to shake off the faraway look and register his question. Instead of answering, she flicked her fingers, as if shooing away a fly, and he felt himself regain control of his body.

"Act of good fai – " she began, but was cut off as David launched himself at her, sending the both of them crashing into the dusty ground.

His hands circled her throat, squeezing hard enough to cause her to gasp. He straddled her waist, his knees trapping her arms beneath him. His brothers closed in on them, hungry for blood. He leaned down close enough that he could count every single eyelash framing her eyes. He breathed in deeply and jerked back sharply, roaring in anger. Her scent hadn't changed at all. There wasn't even the slightest hint of fear on her.

A flash of metal out of the corner of his eyes told him that Dwayne had drawn his switchblade. He should sic them on her; let Dwayne slice her into ribbons, let Paul pluck her eyes from her skull, let Marko rip her entrails from her body. Remy lay underneath him; her breath composed and even, still as a statue.

David frowned. Why wasn't she fighting back?

"What do you want with Max?" he repeated, squeezing tighter.

"I just want to talk," she insisted.

Remy winced as David pressed down on her; not hard enough to crush her windpipe, but enough to let her known that he wouldn't hesitate if he didn't like her answer. Yet she met his gaze head on, eerily calm. Did the girl have a death wish?

She wasn't human, that much was certain. She was a vampire, or at least a half, and had powers that he had never seen before. She could freeze them in her tracks, create fire, and apparently read minds. And yet she was letting him sit on and strangle her. Either the girl was playing with them, or there was something else she wanted. Maybe he could spin this to their advantage. What was that old saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? It was a stupid proverb; a sure-fire way to get yourself killed quickly. But, for the moment…

"What do we get if we tell you where he is?" David asked.

Dwayne stopped rolling his switchblade in his hand. Paul and Marko looked at him briefly in surprise. But none of them questioned him.

Even with his hands around her throat, Remy managed to tilt her head, curiously.

"What do you want?"

David reached out to his brothers through their mental bond, opening himself up to them so they could see the plan taking shape in his mind. The wave of excitement and agitation that crashed into him threatened to overwhelm him. He could see himself reflected in Remy's eyes, could see the red rims of his own yellow irises, could feel the drool clinging to his fangs. And still her scent did not change.

"If we tell you where to find Max," he growled, bringing his face so close to hers that the tips of his fangs scratched across her porcelain smooth cheek, "we need you to help us kill him."

A low rumbled of approval rippled through his brothers. Remy's eyes searched his.

"Let me get this straight: you want _me_ to help _you_ kill your _sire_?"

Paul nodded vigorously over his shoulder. She looked at each of them in turn, a lazy, predatory smile spreading across her full lips.

"Deal."

* * *

 **A/N: A huge thank you goes out to** Gabriel Minuit Noire **,** arienna89 **,** Kristin **,** jgood27 **and** alicia7788 **for their reviews.**

 **Inari Sami is one of the Sami languages that's spoken in Finland. It's a minority language compared to Northern Sami but I think it's what Remy and her family would've spoken considering that they lived along the Ivalo (or** _Avveel_ **in Sami). I know nothing about the language besides what I've found on the internet. So I apologise in advance for the grammar or completely erroneous use of vocabulary. All mistakes are my own.**

 **Here are the sites I used in my feeble attempt to translate Inari Sami (just remove the spaces and change the 'dot' to an actual dot):**

 **: / / people. uta. fi /~km56049 /same /inarinsaame . html**

 **: / / saanih. oahpa. no /fin /sm n/**

 **: / / glosbe dot com / sm n /en**

 **Inari Sami translations**

 _Äijih_ **: Grandfather**

 _Muu_ **: my**

 _Räähis_ **: love, dear (adj.)**

 _Nieidâ_ **: girl**

 _Keččâđ mii_ **: Look at me**

 _Ei_ **: No, don't (I think it's the same in Finnish)**

 _Sun adeliđ mii_ **: Give her to me (lit. Her to give me)**

 _Puáris_ **: old**

 _Almai_ **: man**

 _Et tun väldiđ sun_ **: You cannot have her (lit. You cannot to take her)**

 _Pâârnâš muu_ **: The child is mine (lit. Child mine)**

 **It's probably all wrong! Sorry!**

 **As always, I love hearing from you guys! It's what inspires me to continue writing. Thanks for sticking it out through the long updating periods. I'm trying to be better about that.**

 **Love,**

 **Scribbles**


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